Community Engagement as a Tool to Support Conservation Outcomes in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

Pontio M¹*

1. Conservation International, Alotau, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea

This paper describes the community engagement process (CEP) that supports the introduction of community-based management systems for marine resources to Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea.

The engagement process is a fundamental component of the UNDP-funded Community-based Coastal and Marine Conservation Project executed by Conservation International. The project’s objective is to set up marine protected areas (MPAs) in collaboration with local communities to conserve a representative sample of the rich marine ecosystems found in the 13,000 km² project area.

The CEP begins by building trust between community and the project, focusing on the welfare of people and communities rather than directly on conservation. There is a strong emphasis on capacity building and the sharing of information to enable full participation of communities in determining the use and management of their resources.

Specially trained local community members called Village Engagement Trainers (VETs) drive the CEP in close cooperation with local government, through Ward Development Committees. Selected participatory approaches such as Historical trend analysis, Community Mapping and household surveys are used to guide the process.

Initially, VETs work to counter false expectations and help communities understand how their livelihoods depend on sustainable management of their natural resources. They then support interested communities to plan and implement MPAs, and also introduce alternative livelihood strategies tailored to each community’s needs. These could include any or all of a number of options such as small-scale tourism, better ways to fish or manage gardens, aquaculture, value- adding and support for small-scale businesses through training and micro-credit schemes. Resulting benefits should offset any losses incurred by limiting use of the marine resource in certain areas, thereby ensuring long-term support by communities for these MPAs.

This presentation will detail the methodology trialed by the project under the CEP and successes and lessons learned to date.

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