THERE is a need for all coastal communities to actively and sustainably manage their marine areas, which include the resources, for the benefit of those today and the future generations.
This was stressed by PNG Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) country coordinator Susan Ewen during the sixth Sea Series workshop hosted by Seaweb in Port Moresby last Thursday.
The theme of the workshop was Marine Protected Areas and LMMAs.
To set up LMMAs involves a common decision by the community to manage and protect a certain marine area to safeguard species or their habitat, which may be under threat.
These also included wildlife management areas, no fishing areas and fishing areas.
“By promoting LMMAs, we safeguard our reefs (corals) and mangroves, which can be classed as spawning areas, fish stocks, among others, and their feeding areas,” Ms Ewen said.
“The protected areas can be monitored under a management plan that also gives the community the obligation and responsibility to protect their local marine areas sustainably.”
According to Ms Ewen, there were currently 18 active LMMA sites in four different provinces in PNG.
They included two in Madang lagoon, two in Manus (Pere and M’Buke), seven in Kavieng and seven in Kimbe Bay, West New Britain (Talasea area)
There are, however, more than 50 communities involved in some form of management but because of lack of capacity, they had become dormant.

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