Climate change affects villagers

Rising sea levels continue to
wash away leatherback and other
endangered sea turtles nesting 
beaches in Madang province. 
Picture of a leatherback returning
to sea after nesting at Dawang 
beach, Mur village, Rai coast District,
Madang. Picture curtesy of Leeray.

 Pictures and stories By WENCESLAUS MAGUN

Two fishing boats have arrived at Malapau Island from a day’s fishing trip in the open seas. 

One had arrived earlier, most likely at three in the afternoon and had dropped off a fisherman on our island and left. 

The other boat had just anchored at the shore. 

The warm afternoon sun seem to welcome the fishermen home as if to bid them farewell for accompanying them throughout the day in the open sea as they were fishing. 

The sun’s heat continued to warm the lagoon’s surface.  If only we had eyes to see, we could tell that the heat from the sun was actually causing the lagoon to rise in millimeters.  

Warmer sea and rising sea levels
have washed away many shores 
including Kaviak's on 
Karkar Island, Madang.

The volume of the sea water in the lagoon continue to increase as it swells and swallows the edges of our coasts.  Some of our islands and coastal areas have sunk over the years as a result of the effects of climate change.

The lagoon and our islands continue to get additional pressures from plastics, and the waves of boats that continue to sail the seas and the lagoon, washing away the shores of our islands.

Our islands homes are enveloped by Madang lagoon.  It is surrounded by mangroves, swaying coconut palms, shrubs, and dots of houses filling the mainland and or lining our islands.

Whilst the mangroves and the seagrass in our lagoon store and sequestrate carbon to mitigate the impacts of climate change, our actions to cut mangroves for firewood and build houses and destroy seagrass from overfishing, disturbs them from fulfilling their potentials.  

Land which our ancestors once used for gardening, collecting firewood, looking after pigs, and planting coconut trees for food and income are now submerged under the sea.

The rising sea level in the lagoon has seen much of our Islands being washed away or continue to sink.  

Rising sea level has not only shrunk the size of our islands but has caused our water wells to taste salty.

The sea water has definitely intruded our fresh well waters and destroyed our food gardens.

Steven Kalom in blue jeans
sharing his concerns on the
effects and impacts of 
climate change in Riwo village,
Ward 6, Ambenob LLG, 
Madang province.

I strolled over to the skipper of one of the fishing boats that just arrived.  The skipper was having his meal of boiled bananas under his hut. 

His hut is made of thatched sago palm roof, palm bark floors, and it’s surrounded by sago palm stalks tightly woven together with strips of canes.

Joining him were his children aged between three and 12 years.  They huddled themselves together and giggled with smiles at me as I approached them.

 The day’s heat from the sun had taken its tolls.  I could see the fishermen’s skins all darkened.

“Peter (not his real name). How was your catch?” I asked with curiosity, as I sat next to him respecting him for his tireless efforts of fishing to fend for his family.

“Bagarap stret, (Very bad),” he responded with a sad face.  The other fisherman who accompanied him confirmed Peter’s answer.  He stressed that they had fished whole day and returned with only eight fish.

“This catch,” said Peter, “is not enough to even buy fuel for our next trip,” he stressed with a sad low voice, staring at me and searching for an appropriate answer to explain to his children and to the lady who owns the boat he was fishing on. 

Karkum villagers in Madang province
have taken steps to protect, restore, increase,
and sustain their marine ecosystems and 
biodiversity by establishing their 
Community Managed Marine Area using
Conservation Deed.  Picture of their Natural 
Resources Management Area Map.

As I left Peter and headed back to our house, the lady, the boat’s owner (my cousin) greeted me from her sit on a bench under a mango tree next to Peter’s house.

“Cousin, not a good catch today,” she reaffirmed her fishermen’s concerns with a tone of sadness.

My cousin sister’s concerns is further reiterated by other fishermen.

A 23ft fiber glass dinghy with a four stroke 60hp Yamaha dinghy had returned around 10am with three weary fishermen.  They had left Malapau Island, in Riwo village, at about four o’clock in the morning today. 

Malapau Island, in Riwo village, Ward 6, of Ambenob local level government, in Madang province is about 10km north of Madang town.

The seasoned fishermen had left their warm houses and loving families behind in the early hours of the morning to catch fish.  The fishermen aimed to catch sufficient fish so they can sell at the Madang fish market to earn money.  With the money they could buy food, clothes and meet their other basic needs. 

As they pulled up at the beach, and were unpacking their fishing gears, they informed a few of us waiting expectantly with high hopes at the shore of a good yield.

Late Bob Khonn expressing his concerns on
the environmental, social, economic and cultural
issues of Karkum village with lawyer
Tamalis Akus at Karkum village.

“Solwara bagarap stret.  Strongpla tait, na mipla i no hukim wanpela pis.  (Bad sea with strong currents and we did not catch any fish),” two of the fishermen said with heavy hearts.

The boat’s skipper, the more experienced fishermen in his early 60’s confirmed the two younger fishermen’s comments. 

He added, the current has changed causing the fish to either move away from the Inshore Fish Aggregating Devise (IFAD), commonly used by the locals to catch fish or the IFAD needs to be maintained to attract fish.

There used to be more than four IFADs and off-shore FADs located in between Kranget Island and Malas village some 80km to 90km northwest of Madang town and between Karkar and Bagabag Islands.  With just one IFAD left, fishermen are literally struggling to catch fish to earn an honest hard working living.

“We call on the Madang Fisheries Division, the National Fisheries Authority, the RD canning or any other appropriate authorities to replace the missing IFADs to help us catch fish for our living,” appealed the elderly fishermen as he unpacked his fishing gears from the dinghy.

After failing to catch fish from the IFAD for hours, they followed the current south, heading towards Rai coast in an attempt to see schools of fish to catch.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t find any to catch and returned downhearted.

Their stories reflect my understanding on the effects and impacts of climate change causing changing sea currents.  With global warming comes sea level rise, extreme weather events, longer periods of droughts, and rainy seasons, strong winds or cyclones, and increase diseases.

Our villagers are the most vulnerable.  They bear the price of global warming created by industrial nations during the industrial revolution.   

We all contribute to increase greenhouse emission from the use of fuel, coal, and gas and from farming as producers, traders, and consumers.

Environmental steward Liberty Betuel
shares her sea turtles restoration stories with
Dibor, and Tokain villagers at Dibor.

Unless we play our part at our communities by joining our government to mitigate greenhouse emission our inactions will continue to exacerbate, exhilarate, and amplify the ongoing upwards trend of climate change effects and impacts.

Our fishermen are like canneries in the coal mine.  They warn us that climate change effects and impacts are on the rise affecting their normal daily catch and making it difficult to look after their families.

 

Greenhouse emission affects food and fish

King tides and rising sea level
continue to erode shores of 
Malapau Island.  Pictures by 
Monica Danam

By WENCESLAUS MAGUN

The cool breeze in the early morning hours filled the room.  Anasthasia Ladong (not her real name)  was tempted to sleep in but the plan to do gardening on this day with her husband from their last night’s discussions forced her to wake up early.

After rinsing her mouth in the kitchen she quickly washed the dirty pots, pans, plates, cups, spoons and other kitchen utensils left behind from yesterday’s dinner.  She then boiled yams and a few bananas for breakfast for her family.  Unfortunately, there was no fish and greens to add for a nutritional meal.  

Bad weather with strong currents made it impossible for the fishermen on the island to catch fish.

Quite often, a meal is shared amongst the entire family including grand children, their parents and the siblings in one household.

Relieved from her first task, Ladong relaxes for a moment, chews a betelnut, and checks on her husband if he had prepared the gardening tools.

Monica Danam taking pictures
on the effects and impacts of
climate change on 
Malapau Island.

In the meantime, Ladong has washed the dirty pots, plates, cups and spoons, and organized herself for gardening.

Ladong, yu redi o?  Mi laik go long gaden nau, Joe (i no nem tru) i singaut i go long meri blong em Ladong.

Ladong, are you ready? I am ready to go to the garden now,” Joe (not his real name) calls out to his wife.

“Yes mi redi” Ladong singaut i go bek long Joe long haus win blong bus haus blong ol.

Yes I am ready,” Ladong calls back from the verandah of their humble bush house as she smiles back to Joe.

Years of chewing betel nut has seen her teeth all stained black.  Gray hairs have covered the once dark black fuzzy wazzy ones.  Years of exposer in the sun has seen strain and stress on her face.  The scorching suns heat have also baked her brown skin dark. 

The sun had pierced through the clouds that morning casting their shadows over the calm blue lagoon. 

The turquoise blue lagoon continued to absorb its heat, as it stores and sequestrates the carbon dioxide from the sun.

Little did Ladong nor Joe know anything about the climate change, its effects and its impacts. 

Yet they knew something wasn’t right with the sea and their land for gardening.

Their relatives have relocated their homes from the eastern side of their island facing the open sea and have and continue to build new houses on the western side. 

The ongoing onslaught of king tides and rising sea level over the years have eroded the eastern side of the island.  Some parts of the island have also been submerged.  The island has shrunk in size taking away with it some of the majestic califilium trees that once lined the island’s edges and provided buffer.

Ladong and Joe have paddled across to Kokong on the mainland from Malapau Island.  After leaving their canoe at the beach they ventured inland to their land for gardening.

They had cleared a new patch of land for gardening on the mainland and prepared it for gardening.

Rising sea level continue to erode
and sink parts of Malapau Island.

Ladong in her mid-60s has just returned home from gardening with Joe.  She and Joe had spent a whole day clearing a new patch of land for gardening.

Like many rural women in Papua New Guinea, Ladong plays a key role in looking after her family.

Life in her island home of Malapau is never boring.  She keeps herself busy with gardening, fishing, marketing, preparing meals for her family, doing laundry, attending to customary obligations or doing church activities with her husband and family.

Malapau Island, in Riwo village, of Ward 6, in Ambenob Local Level Government is located about 10km north of Madang town, in Papua New Guinea. 

After resting from her hard day’s activities, Ladong began sharing her concerns.

“I no olsem bipo.  Long dispela taim, laip em i hat stret, Ladong i tok.

Unlike in the past, today, life is very difficult, Ladong said.

Taim blong planim yam em long mun Jun, Julai na Ogus.  Em taim bilong san.  Nau em mun Ogus, tasol ren i wok long kam yet.  Na mipela i no save, sapos em gutpela taim blong planim yam o nogat bihain long ol i kam bek long wok gaden.   

June, July and August are the yam planting season.  That’s when it’s dry.  We are in August, and it is still raining.  We are not too sure if this is a good season for planting yam or not, said Ladong.

Ladong observed that in the past as she grew up as a child, their gardens produced high yields.   There was enough food for their households for consumption as well as sufficient quantities left for either trading through barter system with neighboring Bilbil villagers or sell their garden produce in the markets for income.

She had seen her parents and heard stories of her grandparents exchanged yams, tobacco, and other goods for clay pots, dog’s teeth, pig’s tusks and the like through barter system with the Bilbil villagers. 

The clay pots they collected from Bilbil were used in bride price and other traditional ceremonies such as suabul.

A nephew of Ladong, Manalom
relocates his house from the Eastern
end of Malapau island to the western
end to prevent his house from the
effects and impacts of rising sea
level.

Suabul is a very unique and special ceremony.  During suabul, clans exchange sago cooked with galip that are stuck high up on a diamond shaped pole, with pigs, food, and other items piled under this pole with other clans in remembrance for their deceased relatives.  Before presenting these gifts to their partner clans, the host clan will sing and dance from dusk till dawn at the ceremonial (suabul) ground. 

This sacred ritual is no longer practiced in Riwo today due to the increase costs of pigs, and other goods and services. 

At the bride price ceremonies, family members of the bride would dress a bride elaborately with traditional grass skirts, bird feathers and a regalia of other decorative traditional ornaments.  These included Madang bilum (string bag), food and other gifts and take her to her groom.  This practice is still practiced today with the inclusion of modern store goods and cash.

“Nau kaikai i sot olgeta.  Planti taim ol stilman o meri i save stilim ol kaikai blong mipela. Na antap long dispela hevi, i gat planti manmeri.  Mipela i no gat inap graun bilong mekim gaden tu.  Sampela taim kaikai i no karim gut.  Ol binatang tu i bagarapim ol kaikai bilong mipela long gaden,” Ladong i tokaut wantaim bikpela wari. 

“Today, we don’t have enough food.  Thieves either men or women steal our food. And on top of this problem, our population has increased.  We don’t have sufficient land for gardening as well.  Sometimes our food do not produce good yield.  Pests and diseases are also destroying our food,” Ladong expressed with deep sadness.

Ladong and Joe did not realize that climate change effects and impacts have also affected their food gardens. 

Langpain Gem has seen the rise of
sea levels devastating her island
of Malapau.

Global warming, through burning up of fuel, oil, and gas compounded by emission from animal dungs, deforestation, logging, slash and burn, and related human activities since the industrial revolution in the 1700s have seen the rapid and steady rise of greenhouse emission. 

This has resulted in glaciers, and ice bergs melting thus increasing the sea level.  With rising sea level comes increased shifts in weather patterns, strong sea currents, prolonged droughts, strong winds or cyclones and typhoons, monsoons, rapid growth of pests, and related diseases and a relentless host of other climate change related effects and impacts.

Ladong and Joe join other farmers and fishermen in echoing their need in real time for hands-on training on Smart Climate Fishing and Agricultural knowledge and skills. 

They call on the government, NGO partners and other agencies for help. 

Villagers need training on climate smart fishing or agricultural, and village technology knowledge and skills that will enhance their fishing and farming activities. 

These trainings and support with appropriate village technologies and tools, will play an important role in sustaining villagers’ families with good food crops and marine products for consumption and for earning income to meet their other basic social and economic needs.

Ladong and her family can join other villagers in Papua New Guinea play a part to reduce greenhouse emission if they are supported.

The author seeks information from CEPA, CCDA, and UNDP BCF or any other relevant stakeholder partners on technical advise and support for women in Madang on the recently established Blue Economy Enterprise Incubation Facility (BE-EIF).

He understands the BE-EIF was established to stimulate the growth of viable business models in the new blue economy space.

"Can the BE-EIF provide dedicated technical assistance and a mix of financial instruments, particularly early-stage finance, to unearth, incubate and grow sustainable blue enterprise from cradle to exist with a particular focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and on women, in our local communities in Madang?" asked the author.

According to information gathered by the author from UNDP's website, the BE-EIF will be embedded within a dedicated financing window of the Biodiversity and Climate Fund, which provides grant-making and technical support to protected areas and vulnerable communities affected by climate change.

Please contact the author on: magun.wences@gmail.com

 

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