USAID donates research materials to support the conservation of leatherback sea turtles in PNG
News Highlights May 17, 2022
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Lukautim Graun Program, donated 400 copies of the research publication ‘The Turtles Return’ to the Eastern Highlands Provincial Resource Center in Goroka, Papua New Guinea (PNG).
PNG is home to the leatherback sea turtle, the largest of its kind in the world, reaching almost two meters in length and weighing up to 600 kilograms. These majestic creatures have roamed our Pacific oceans for millions of years. However, the West Pacific Ocean subpopulation of the leatherback sea turtle is critically endangered, with numbers decreasing at an alarming rate.
‘The Turtles Return’, written by Wenceslaus Magun, draws on the author’s experiences in conservation efforts to protect the leatherback sea turtles from extinction at the community managed marine area at Karkum in Madang Province. This book provides valuable insight into how people’s actions on a local scale can help preserve the leatherback turtle for future populations, and it will help raise environmental awareness and education for local communities to make informed decisions in biodiversity conservation.
Mrs Elizabeth Kaulei, Conservation Education Program Manager for the Research and Conservation Foundation thanked USAID for its support.
“Thankyou USAID. These books will make a valuable contribution to our resource centers and inspire many students to take an interest in biodiversity conservation in PNG. Once the books are catalogued we intend to distribute copies to our other resource centers in Jiwaka, Simbu, and Morobe provinces.” Said Mrs Kaulei.
USAID Deputy Mission Director for Pacific Islands and Mongolia, Sean Callahan made the formal presentation of books to the Eastern Highlands Provincial Resource Centre on behalf of USAID’s PNG Lukautim Graun Program during his visit to PNG.
“Papua New Guinea’s biodiversity is unique as one of the richest, yet also among the most threatened in the world. Empowering local communities with the knowledge and ability to protect and conserve their natural resources is at the heart of USAID’s mission,” said Sean Callahan, USAID Deputy Mission Director for the Pacific Islands and Mongolia.
The Eastern Highlands Provincial Resource Centre is one of six located across PNG that are established through USAID’s partnership with the Research and Conservation Foundation, a local non-government organization. The role of these resource centers is to collect, store, and make accessible to all people, particularly marginalized groups like women, valuable research material to help strengthen biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods, and women’s empowerment in PNG.
This is part of USAIDs ongoing support and commitment, through its PNG Lukautim Graun Program managed by Cardno International Development, to work in partnership with Government, Non-Government and Community Based Organizations and local communities to improve people’s livelihoods, strengthen biodiversity conservation, promote gender equity, and support women’s empowerment in PNG.
