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Conserving the Crocodiles
WWF will stage the first ever Sepik River Crocodile Festival on March 1 and 2 in a drive to conserve crocodiles and its habitats in and along the Sepik River. FESTUS MAIGINAP reports

Scientist world wide agree that the Earth's climate is being directly affected by human activity, and for many people around the world, these changes are having negative effects.
Environmental degradation and preservation have emerged as major issues in globalisation studies.
The human cause of 'Global Warming' has become a global concern in the past years.
It is understood that the polar ice cap is melting at a rate of 9 percent per decade. The thickness of the Arctic ice has decreased 40 percent since the 1960s, and the current pace of rise in sea level is three times the historical rate and appears to be accelerating dramatically.
In PNG, wetlands are under threat from global warming and citizens are urged by conservation organisations to be more cautious with their activities.
Also, many islands and coastal areas are being swamped, as villages and ecosystems submerge under salt water due to rising sea levels.
River systems such as the Sepik, one of the pristine rivers in the Asia/Pacific region, is also facing environmental threats from human activities.
The Sepik River meanders through the mountainous highlands region and pours into the bays of the Bismarck Solomon Seas, covering a distance of approximately 1, 200 kilometres and having a total catchment cover of 7, 000 square kilometres.
The river system goes through four highlands provinces, three costal provinces and parts of Indonesia. She has numerous tributaries and sub-catchments and oxbows such as the renowned Chambri Lake, which stands as the second biggest lake in the country. She also serves as habitat/home to some of the unique species of both flora and fauna.
Conservation organisations, such as World Wide Fund (WWF), the Department of Environment and Conservation; and partner organisations have been working in the region over the past years to minimise and hopefully reverse these threats.
Recently, a partnership work plan known as the Sepik River Network was drawn up with all the non government and government organisations operating in the Sepik River Basin.
The Sepik people see the river as a significant part of their life. She provides them with food, way of transport and a form of identity.
With the escalating threat towards the future environmental sustainability of the Sepik River, WWF has embarked on a mission to conserve one of the iconic species in the East Sepik, the crocodile.
The River is home to two different crocodile species, the fresh water and the salt water crocodiles.
WWF will launch and stage the first ever Sepik River Crocodile Festival on March 1 and 2. The Festival will be a driving mechanism towards the conservation of crocodiles and its habitats in and along the Sepik River.
The festival will be themed 'Luksave na kirapim wok bilong lukautim pukpuk" (Recognising and Promoting the Conservation of Crocodiles),
WWF's Fresh Water Program Manager, David Peter said the festival is intended to increase enthusiasm in the communities towards the promotion of crocodiles as an iconic species.
He says that the festival will be an avenue to bring people from relevant organisations to support conservation and other initiatives the stakeholders are undertaking.
It is proposed that the Festival will become an annual event for WWF's Fresh Water Program together with its partner organisations, local habitat owners and crocodile farmers to promote crocodile as an iconic specie and to remind communities about the importance of environmental conservation.
With regard to the cultural/traditional way of life and the scientific approach towards conservation, WWF is currently taking on board a technique to blend cultural/traditional knowledge together with the scientific conservation approach in this new conservation strategy where it is projected towards actively involving the participation of the locals.
David says some of the crocodile habitat owners are working with the government and non government organisations to protect pristine crocodile habitats.
Among this group of organisations stands HELP Resources -a local NGO decentralised into the Ambunti station early last year.
HELP Resources' Apo Resource Centre has, over the past year, been working jointly with WWF under the coordination of Jill Bosro, who -apart from being employed by HELP Resources, acts as a Field officer for WWF under the joint arrangement.
David said recent surveys had shown an increase in the number of crocodile farms as well as a boost in the population of crocodiles.
"We are currently linking conservation practices between traditional knowledge and scientific approaches in our Fresh Water Program with the intention of getting the active involvement of the locals in this new conservation strategy," says David.
The two day event is open to the public. The first day will be a day of celebration through sporting activities such as soccer, volleyball, running race, tug of war, canoe race and the greasy pole.
The launch will take place on the second day with speeches by invited guests and entertainment by local artist Felix Yausi.
The event will be coordinated by the Sepik Tourism Development committee.
Organisations and individuals will also set up information desks to do awareness on environment and conservation, HIV/AIDS and the new voting system (LPV).
The locals will display artefacts and perform traditional songs and dances.
There will be prices given for sports and school competitions and special awards for best kept tourism spot, innovative crocodile farm and well looked after crocodile habitat/site.
"We have given grants to a community based organisation named Sepik Wetland Management Initiative.They will be responsible for identifying and assessing potential crocodile farmers and local habitat owners, of which the list would be brought forward to the Sepik Tourism Development Committee who will then pick-out the best four in each category and later be submitted to the selection committee with their recommendations," says David.
Preparations for the two-day festival are well underway in the provincial capital Wewak.
"We are basically preparing and sending invitations to our honourable and distinguished guests to this memorable event," says Jill Bosro.
"Apart from doing that, we are also writing to business houses in the hope of seeking sponsors for the awards and prices for the sporting activities."