| Overview : The project ‘Community-based Forest and Coastal Conservation and Resources Management in Papua New Guinea’ aims to develop and demonstrate resource management and conservation models for landholding communities that effectively incorporate community-managed conservation areas. It is expected that an additional 1million hectares will be identified and established through this Project as part of agreed national priorities, which are aligned to the UN CBD targets.
The expected outputs of the Project are a national enabling environment for a community-based sustainable national system of Protected Areas (PAs) to effect conservation planning; an identification and establishment of new PAs through a structured science-based process to include the conversion of viable existing Wildlife Management Areas into Conserved Areas (CAs); a Conservation Area management planning in partnership with communities to deliver the economic development outcome of sustaining conservation-compatible livelihood opportunities; and a capacity development for CA management at the provincial, district and local level to support the delivery of improved services for communities within and around CAs.
PNG holds 5-9% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity (DEC 2010) and 10% of the world’s total of coral reefs and marine biodiversity (DEC 2010). However, less than 4% or 1.9 million hectares (DEC 2010) and less than 0.07% of the terrestrial waters or 2,800 km2 (WWF, 2009) is under the Protected Area system. Based on 2009 IUCN data, 36 are critically endangered, 49 endangered, 365 considered vulnerable, 288 near threatened and 1289 classified as Least Concern (DEC 2010). PNG’s rich biodiversity is under customary ownership, which makes up 97% of the total land area (DEC 2010).
Conservation in PNG is hindered by a combination of systemic and policy barriers to effectively manage PAs in combination with the capacity and economic development barriers at the local (community/ clan) level that directly affect the decisions communities make about the use of their natural resources. The challenge lies in devising resource-allocation decision-making models that allow communities to fulfill their income needs and developmental aspirations, while ensuring that a viable, representative proportion of the country’s terrestrial and marine resources are conserved for national and global environmental purposes. The only mechanism by which these two goals can be aligned is through the model of community-based conservation areas. However the large-scale establishment of such CAs is hindered by the range of policy, capacity and financial barriers described above.
The approximate duration of the International Consultant’s work is for six months. This includes travels within the country. | 
