Our goal is to guide indigenous communities to go through a process to understand turtle conservation issue and to develop action plans to move forward.
Our efforts in Madang, PNG are laying the groundwork for the longer-term aim of empowering local communities to manage their own resources and be a strong voice for conservation in the region.
Our aim is to be the vehicle in sustaining the turtle conservation programs in PNG and in the Western Pacific region.
We also intend to provide a direct voice to a growing population of the indigenous people across the region who has shared concerns relevant to their customary connections to the Bismarck Solomon Seas.
It is our desire to extend our turtle conservation efforts to Rai coast, Bogia and to the outer islands of Madang Province to see an increase in the number of live and healthy hatchlings returning to sea. But in order to do that we must first prove successful in implementing this project in our current pilot project sites in north coast of Madang Province (See Project Map).
We also intend to extend our programs over to West New Britain, and Bougainville where leatherbacks come to nest as indicated by the aerial surveys map conducted by NOAA which we have obtained from TNC. And if funding is available we want to explore turtle protection and restoration initiatives through out the coastal areas in PNG.
We also believe that by involving all communities to participate in the protection and restoration of the leatherback turtles and other turtles can we benefit to understand the leatherback turtle population and other turtles trends in our region.
Our efforts in Madang complements past research and monitoring work at Kamiali and other Huon coast sites dating back to the mid 1980s.
We will also address all other related and relevant marine and community livelihood programs that complement the needs, aspirations, desires, visions and missions of all the indigenous inhabitants whom we work with.
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