Madang Lagoon Ecoregion Approach

Geographical location:

Asia/Pacific > Pacific Ocean > Papua New Guinea

Summary

The project will introduce an integrated ecosystem approach to managing the globally important conservation hotspot of Papua New Guinea's (PNG) north coast and offshore islands, with a particular focus on the Bismarck-Solomon Seas Ecoregion (BSSE).

Work will concentrate on protecting vulnerable species, conserving habitat and the promotion of the sustainable use of natural resources.

Background

The marine ecosystems of north coastal Papua New Guinea hold some of the most significant marine biodiversity in the world, with outstanding coral reef systems, sea grass beds, mangrove forests, coastal and pelagic fisheries, marine turtles, dugongs and whales. The Bismarck-Solomon Seas global ecoregion stretches from Indonesia to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Many communities in this area depend almost entirely on marine resources for their livelihoods. These marine areas are in relatively good condition and represent some of the most intact, globally representative habitats of their kind. However, they face numerous threats, including unsustainable patterns of use, internal and external pressures on key resources, and environmental degradation.

These trends threaten not only marine biodiversity, but also undermine the food and economic security of communities. Efforts to combat these threats and to protect biodiversity and livelihoods are hindered by a lack of funds; a shortage of information needed to improve natural resource management, an inadequate policy and planning framework; poor capacity amongst communities, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders; and an insufficient marine protected area system.

In 2007 WWF launched a major regional scale programme known as the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). This initiative covers over 6 million km2, spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji. It includes 3 global ecoregions, one of which is BSSE. This region is home to the highest diversity of marine life on Earth, including 75% of all coral species known to science and spawning areas that are the source of 89% of the global tuna catch. It supplies food and income to at least half a billion people.

However, resource depletion rates are high and accelerating due to the explosive growth of Asian fish markets and the insatiable demand for tuna and shrimp in the US, Europe and Japan. Global pressure from marine tourism drives countries to sacrifice long-term benefits from intact ecosystems for short term economic gains. Local demand for food and space competes with global pressures, enhancing the risk of instability and insecurity and is compounded by the multiple threats posed by global warming.

Regional scale initiatives still require local input to ensure meaningful success and local offices will be central to the delivery of this ambitious regional initiative. This proposal contains a series of extremely focused activities which will build on, and are embedded within the BSSE overarching objectives that have guided WWF PNG’s activities over the past 4 years. These BSSE goals will, in turn, contribute towards the CTI. The ability of the global WWF network, particularly the CTI, will help to further industry based discussions at a regional and global level, compensating for WWF PNG’s current lack of capacity.

The local activities contained within this proposal have arisen partly out of a collaborative management planning process for Madang Lagoon with local communities, Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), WWF and the Locally Managed Marine Area Network (LMMA). For 8 months a core group of organisations and local communities have met, facilitated by CORAL, and developed a management plan for Madang Lagoon. Although not yet complete, the plan is sufficiently evolved to have enabled the various organisations to decide how to complement each other’s programmes to achieve practical conservation results on the ground.

WWF PNG has designed a 2 year programme of activities with possible extension, which will be based at a local level in Madang Lagoon, Simbine, Madang Islands and Manus - 4 areas of major importance that were identified in the BSSE vision workshop and which are core components of the BSSE plan. The activities are founded on an overall goal with 3 main objectives which complement CTI goals.

Objectives

The globally outstanding biodiversity of the PNG area of the Bismarck–Solomon Seas Ecoregion is conserved and sustainably managed for the enjoyment and secure livelihoods of future generations.

1. Protect and maintain viable populations of shared and migratory species and their natural habitats (green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles and dugongs).

2. Protect and maintain marine ecological processes and representative ecosystem habitat including, their links to terrestrial and fresh water habitats and ensure that trans-boundary connections are maintained.

3. Provide protection for sustainable natural resource use that contributes to trans-boundary marine conservation and respects the livelihoods and cultural values of the people of PNG, Papua and Solomon Islands.

Solution

The ecocregion approach focuses efforts on working with different stakeholders, particularly local communities and governments to protect biodiversity through:

- representation of all distinct natural communities;
- maintenance of ecological and evolutionary processes that create and sustain biodiversity;
- maintenance of viable populations of species;
- ensuring resilience in the face of large scale periodic disturbances and long-term change; and
- managing sustainable use of marine resources to contribute to a healthy environment and economic prosperity.

For over 20 years, WWF has worked in the region to address these challenges at multiple levels. It has carried out substantial site-based work with communities, worked with governments on policy reform, promoted best management practices for the private sector, and run numerous consumer campaigns. Its work in the BSSE has resulted in government and community collaboration to secure the conservation of critical turtle populations in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Nevertheless, the pace and scale of degradation now requires a new type of collaboration. To effect meaningful change, WWF has no choice but to raise its ambitions to address the threats and opportunities that span the full CT seascape and to realize goals that are significant to the whole world. From the foundations that it has set across the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, Bismark-Solomon Sea Ecoregion, and Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion, WWF is now poised to direct its clarity of vision, sense of purpose, power to convene and agility to adapt towards mobilizing the forces required to unambiguously embed the concept of environmental benefits (and the need for urgent action) in political, economic and management practices across the key sectors that benefit from the oceans’ ever diminishing wealth.