Manus women join efforts to conserve nature

WOMEN in Manus province have joined forces with  men to manage their community resources sustainably.
The formation of Women in Conservation Network sets the standard for this work and more women have been called on to support the initiative.
Women in Conservation Network coordinator in Manus, Jenny Sogan said the idea was to give women an opportunity to take part in conservation.
Sogan, a participant at the Learning and Training Network workshop at Loniu last week, said most of the conservation work had been carried out by men and community-based organisations initiated by men.
“There are so many women out there who can be useful in conservation work and we would like to utilise their skills and talents,” she said.
“Women have an important role in the livelihood of their families and it is only proper to involve them because they will become better home makers.
“With the idea of Learning and Training Network now being introduced, it further strengthens our work because the idea of sharing and learning can help us do our work effectively.
“It’s important because in areas that we are lacking we can learn from the success stories of other women and be able to improve.
“Now that this network for women has been formed, we urge all women to come and be a part of this great network.”
Ruth Francis, a member of the Women in Conservation Network, said the Learning and Training Network was a very important tool to enable the communities to learn.