A community-based biodiversity conservation program in the Torricelli Mountains, north-west Papua New Guinea
The Tenkile Conservation Alliance is a non-government organisation registered in Papua New Guinea in 2001. It was originally established as vehicle to support conservation of Scott’s Tree Kangaroo, or Tenkile, and arose out of a PNG Tree Kangaroo Conservation Assessment and Management Plan in Lae in 1998. Its aim has since broadened to one of assisting communities to conserve biodiversity in the Torricelli Mountains, using tree kangaroos as flagship species. This is being achieved through (i) facilitating short-term protection of the flagship tree kangaroo species through hunting moratoriums by the relevant landowners; (ii) develop alternative livelihood strategies in local communities to alleviate hunting pressures on wildlife and enabling sustainable use of natural resources; (iii) establishing the Torricelli Mountain Range as a legislated Conservation Area; and (iv) undertake monitoring and research to evaluate the success of the previous strategies. Significant progress has been made in all these goals, including agreements by all 36 villages to no longer hunt tree kangaroos, employment and training for villagers, awareness and health programs for local communities, and establishment of rabbit farming as a sustainable alternative to hunting wildlife. The project is a model for delivering broad biodiversity outcomes for wildlife in PNG. This paper will outline the issues faced in achieving the progress towards the conservation program’s goals.