Greens push for direct funding

PAPUA New Guinean environmentalists, who attended a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan last month, have pushed for support from donor agencies to enable activity funds to be directly provided to Pacific countries.
Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) deputy secretary Kay Kalim said it was a huge milestone for PNG to have its concerns on biodiversity loss due to climate change, captured at the convention.
“CBD is a time for negotiation. For the last 10 years, there has been little progress made to protect biodiversity. With direct budget funding to Pacific Island countries including PNG, we will be able to carry out activities faster as there will be no delay in receiving the fund,” Kalim said.
The PNG delegation to the convention also worked closely with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to ensure its account on the impacts of climate change was included in the 2020 global biodiversity strategic plan.
DEC protected areas in PNG manageress and participant at the convention Rose Singadan assured more than 6,000 CBD participating members that PNG, like other Pacific island countries in the region, is committed to ensuring the strategic plan developed, works for everyone.
“Any strategy we do must take into consideration climate change due to our low lying islands and mountainous areas.  Climate change will affect everything that we are talking about here, it is important we consider climate change in the 2020 Global Strategic Plan,” she said.
The global strategic plan for biodiversity focuses on the period 2011-20.
“For the Pacific region, this plan is crucial to helping sustain livelihoods.  The value of island biodiversity not only encompasses economic benefits, it has also provided communities with cultural traditions and is the foundation for our Pacific way of life,” Singadan said.