Scientific and Adventure Tourism in the Forests of Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea

by Conservation International

Partners:

Conservation International (CI) Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific (FSP) Wau Ecology Institute (WEI)

Current Accomplishments

During the past year, the Lakekamu Basin Integrated Conservation and Development project expanded its staff and increased the capacity of field personnel and local stakeholders to implement the enterprise elements of the project. In April, FSP-PNG hired Thomas Paka as its Port Moresby based Project Coordinator. FSP and CI also contracted with a post-graduate student at UPNG to organize and analyze the socioeconomic data collected earlier by Community Outreach Officer Cosmas Makamet. Meanwhile, CI hired Gaikovina "Gai" Kula, former First Assistant Secretary for Nature Conservation at the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation, as its PNG Program Director, thus strengthening CI's ability to manage its projects throughout PNG.

In late June, three Lakekamu Basin personnel went on a study tour of a BCN-funded joint Solomon Islands Development Trust/Maruia Society/CI project on the island of Makira, Solomon Islands, where the project staff benefited greatly from observing a more established Melanesian Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICAD). On their return to PNG, they joined four Lakekamu Basin landowner representatives at a workshop designed to increase the ability of stakeholders, NGOs and tour operators to design, implement and manage successful ecotourism enterprises in PNG.

Successes and Challenges

"OK...So What?"

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