The Department of Environment and Conservation in partnership with UNDP, has recently commenced implementation of a new project known as the Community-based Forest and Coastal Conservation and Resource Management (CbFCCRM), aiming to catalyse sustainability of the national Protected Area system in the country. This project was approved by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in June 2011, implemented under the leadership of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in collaboration with Provincial and Local Level Governments with the buy in from committed landowners and communities.
This project will attempt to demonstrate sustainable financing opportunities/options and innovative collaboration approaches for Protected Areas (PAs) management will be demonstrated in Owen Stanley Range and New Britain Island. The target area in New Britain are:
- Nakanai Sublime Karst;
- Whiteman Range;
- Baining Mountains;
- To include the clusters of established Wildlife Management Areas and Locally Managed Marine Areas within New Britain such as Tavolo, Toimtop, Klampun, Garu, among others.
This Project’s strategy is based on the understanding that a major cause of the disconnect between Protected Area planning and management with national development and sectoral planning directly results from ineffective demarcation of globally and nationally significant biodiversity as well as a lack of appreciation for potential losses that these could economically affect various industries and peoples’ livelihoods. As identified in previous assessments, insufficient financial and human resources in the policy framework and weak capacity to manage them, reduces effective administration in the protection and management of ecosystems and its services for Protected Areas. In addition, policy makers and the public have limited access to knowledge on PA values, leading to great challenges in obtaining wider political and financial support for effective protection of biodiversity within PAs or establishing new PAs. This also meant that uninformed “development” decisions have often been made and are known to be detrimental to PAs such as mining or logging concessions and conversion of forest into palm oil plantations near or within PAs. An obvious need remains in exploring appropriate and sustainable financing opportunities that will look beyond green tourism and entrance fee-related revenues. There are a number of other avenues still unrealized in PNG.
The national government through DEC/CEPA is promoting a biodiversity offsetting scheme which is geared towards reducing threats on Protected Areas by establishing a financing mechanism to improve PA management and financing. These are well introduced in the country’s first national policy framework on Protected Areas to be finalized in September 2014 which fits with the new mandate of DEC as it transitions into a statutory authority for environmental management and protection.
Within this framework, the project is seeking to identify, develop and trial PES options for New Britain - both traditional (tourist fees, land fees, etc.) and non-traditional (concessions and biodiversity offsets from mining or other private sector activities, sustainable products, markets for ecosystem services, and other collaborative partnerships to offset costs and raise funds) sources of revenues to adequately manage PAs. This initiative will complement the ongoing preparation of both interim arrangement and long-term strategy for Biodiversity Trust Fund. The information generated from this study will be presented to decision-makers of the need to increase investment in PA management, identify market linkages to PES options as well as incorporate findings on how DEC/CEPA could support and improve the communication strategy and products in order to encourage landowners and communities to commit their lands for a conservation scheme. Findings and products of above initiative will serve as a basis for further revision and necessary amendment in the policy and legislation on Protected Areas and other related new policy guidance and rules to enable an effective management and financial framework for the PA system in the country.
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