<
https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/21438/Papua-New-Guinea-Triples-Ocean-Protection-Announcing-Two-New-Marine-Protected-Areas.aspx>
"NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. (Nov. 12, 2023) – In an incredible boon for the planet’s
oceans, the government of Papua New Guinea today announced more than 1.5
million hectares (more than 16,000 km²) of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The new MPAs more than triple ocean protections in one of the most
biodiversity-rich countries in the world, marking a major leap forward for the
country and the planet on the road to achieving the global “30x30” target.
The project spanned nearly seven years and involved extensive free, prior, and
informed-consent processes. The two new MPAs in Lovongai and Murat Local Level
Government (LLG) jurisdictions in New Ireland Province were designed and
created in a massive partnership between Indigenous Peoples, national
government authorities, and local nonprofits including the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS), Ailan Awareness Inc, and Lolieng Sustainable
Programme. More than 9,000 people from upwards of 100 different communities had
a voice in the process, on everything from the boundaries of the protected
areas to governance rules, making this one of the first and most ambitious
community-led MPA wins since governments and the global community committed to
30x30 in 2022.
“These declarations are a result of major conservation commitments from the
Government of Papua New Guinea at the 5th international Our Ocean conference in
Bali in 2018, where we promised to develop 7,500 km² of MPAs in New Ireland
Province,” said Kay Kalim, Director of Sustainable Environment Programs at the
Conservation and Environment Protection Authority. “With this announcement, we
are very grateful to the people of Murat and Lovongai LLG and the people of New
Ireland Province and its government for ensuring that we delivered on this
commitment.”
Papua New Guinea is one of the last places on earth where populations of
critically endangered sawfishes can still be found. The two new MPAs include
the country’s first-ever rules protecting sawfish and their relatives, the
critically endangered rhino rays, making these also the first MPAs in the world
with specific measures designed to protect the most threatened groups of sharks
and rays. The Murat MPA includes full protection for marine turtles, dugongs,
whales, dolphins, and (in five of the six wards) all other shark and ray
species – rules and details that were agreed upon across dozens of communities,
languages, and cultures."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-child-nutrition-human-rights-bhutan-ocean-png/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
