Projects strengthen conservation agreement in Manus

Weekender

By ELAINE VAINA
NINE communities in Central Manus have been proud recipients of new classrooms and community resource centres in a project managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and funded by the Australian government in partnership with the Manus Support for Community Development (MSCD).
Wildlife Conservation Society PNG has been working with communities in Manus since 2008 and the launch of these projects is a milestone for that partnership.
The society’s country director, Ambroise Brenier, explained that Central Manus represents the largest remaining patch of intact forest in the Admiralty and the Manus Great Central Forest is being repeatedly identified as a biodiversity hotspot for Papua New Guinea. Manus Island, as a whole, has suffered among the highest rates of deforestation and forest degradation in the country.
To prevent further clearance of primary lowland rainforest in central Manus, 50 clans from nine communities in the Pobuma and Pomotu-Ndrehet-Kuriti-Andra (PNKA) local level governments have signed revolving two-year conservation agreements with the society.
Through these agreements the use of subsistence timber is allowed but the communities have agreed to not allow industrial logging or large-scale forest clearance for commercial agriculture.
The conservation agreements have helped save more than 28,000ha of lowland primary forests to date. As part of these conservation agreements, the society has assisted nine participating communities to develop their ward development plans in conjunction with the Provincial Planning Division and the LLGs. Through this ward planning process each community selected its own priority development project and then received funding support from the Australian government.
This has resulted in the completion of projects in several communities, including resource centres for the communities of Saha, Lewa and Tulu 2; an elementary classroom and water tanks in Lahapau; a permanent house for a teacher and water tanks for Timoenai primary school; a classroom for Patu elementary school; and counter funding for the completion of a five-in-one classroom and office building for Pelipowai primary school.
Stanley Peu, the paramount chief of Tulu 2, acknowledged his community’s continued partnership with the society for the delivery of a community resource centre that will serve as a multipurpose meeting venue for his people.
“We have seen this development because we have decided to protect our forest for the future.
“We will continue to support conservation as this centre is a gift for the community,” he said.
Timoneai primary school headmistress Diana Auru thanked the society for addressing an ongoing issue which teachers nationwide face in terms of housing.
“I am very happy with the approach by WCS in providing a teacher’s house,” said Auru.
“Previously, children have been sent home because no teacher was available. This problem has been addressed, however, we need more funding for two more teacher’s houses.”
Brenier said the construction of the teacher’s house was a partnership between the Australian government and the Manus provincial government, in recognition of the commitment from resource owners for forest conservation.  He also highlighted that the community involvement was vital for the delivery of the projects.
“These communities played their part by offering free labour and timber,” he said.
Brenier said the society had already helped survey the communities’ customary land boundaries for ownership and conservation purposes.
Representatives from partner organisations and stakeholders were present for the opening of the community infrastructure projects.

  • Elaine Vaina is media officer at Wildlife Conservation Society.