About Us

News

(March 03, 2015) Today marks the World Wildlife Day.We were honoured to have been a part of the World Wildlife Day celebrations in Port Moresby over the weekend that was hosted by the Port Moresby Nature Park, and included representatives from the RSPCA and NCDC.World Wildlife Day, is a United Nations General Assembly’s sanctioned day for 3rd March to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild flora and fauna. The date was proclaimed on 20 December 2013, during its 68th session.WCS PNG Director Richard Cu...

READ THE STORY

(February 12, 2015) As a person whose passion lies in agriculture and the land, WCS New Ireland’s intern Sammie Waru had never thought that diving would set him off on a new and exciting part of his career.Sammie was part of a team that took part in a one week scuba diving course with the Scuba Ventures in Kavieng last month.The course was part of his internship program with WCS under the David and Lucile Packard Foundation funded 'Small-scale Fisheries Management' project.“It was such an experience and a challenge...

READ THE STORY

(December 16, 2014) The WCS New Ireland team has recruited new community facilitators (CFs) to be the bridge between its work and partner communities in the province.Ten young and vibrant locals joined the team of six (6) existing CFs in an extensive week of information exchange and training that was carried out between the 10th- 14th November in Kavieng.Trainer and WCS PNG’s Senior Community Engagement Specialist John Par Kagl said that the new CFs were a group that showed enthusiasm and charisma during the traini...

READ THE STORY

(December 11, 2014) Two elementary teachers from one of WCS PNG’s most remote project sites completed two days of training with local partner and conservation organisation the Research & Conservation Foundation (RCF) on Tuesday, 9th December 2014 in Goroka.The teachers Peter Aiyo Mark and Laimon Asam were instrumental also in the consultation and verification process of finalising the recently developed elementary curriculum handbook for the primary school students of Ikundi – Souwi Valley.They were presented with ...

READ THE STORY

(December 11, 2014) Mangroves are an important forest ecosystem for many coastal communities in Papua New Guinea.Conservation of this forest ecosystem for sustainable harvesting and management of resources that it provides is vital for the sustainability of livelihoods. WCS New Ireland under its mangrove rehabilitation and protection initiative has been carrying out mangrove health assessments on several island communities in the province.This WCS PNG initiative is funded by the USAID Mangrove Rehabilitation for Su...

READ THE STORY

(December 11, 2014) WCS New Ireland team has engaged two graduates from the University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE) Vudal Campus for a one year internship program.The graduates, Mildred Kelokelo and Sammie Waru graduated from Vudal in March this year and recently joined the WCS team in August under WCS’s sustainable small-scale fisheries program, which is funded by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.Their work and research projects are supervised by WCS Fisheries Management officer Dr Sven Frij...

READ THE STORY

(December 11, 2014) She might be new to the place but she feels at home.Volunteer, Sarah Lawless (pictured) joined the WCS PNG New Ireland program in October and says she is looking forward to working with the local communities.Serah is a social scientist specialising in researching the social aspects of fisheries.She has previously worked in the Solomon Islands with several marine conservation organisations before she came to PNG and began working with the WCS team in New Ireland.She now works under the supervisio...

READ THE STORY

(November 10, 2014) A month long expedition undertaken by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to PNG’s remote northern most islands of Manus Province and Mussau Island in New Ireland Province has discovered many new species of plants, geckos, lizards and bats as well as surprisingly large populations of marine turtles, coconut crabs, and fruit bats.The expedition which ended last week and consisted of a team of international and local scientists, also found the rare woolly bat on Manus Island, a species that ha...

READ THE STORY

(October 07, 2014) As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s ongoing conservation efforts in the Melanesia region, a team of internationally renowned scientists, WCS staff and students have began a month of biodiversity field surveys of the forests of Central Manus Province and Mussau Island in New Ireland Province (NIP).Under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) project the team (pictured) has currently set up camp at Mt Sabomu in the Pobuma LLG, on the south coast of Manus Island.The team has alre...

READ THE STORY

(September 29, 2014) Coastal communities in the country will now benefit from a recently published community-based mangrove planting handbook.The country’s only female mangrove specialist and WCS PNG’s Biologist Mazzella Maniwavie said coastal communities and mangrove practitioners would greatly benefit from the handbook.“I am happy and relieved that the book has been published and cannot wait to see communities start using it”, said Mazzella.The Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD) in collaboration with ...

READ THE STORY

(September 25, 2014) Colgate Palmolive Limited today delivered posters and boxes of Colgate toothbrushes and toothpastes to the WCS PNG’s Goroka office.This follows a mutual partnership between the two organisations to implement Colgate-Palmolive’s Health Outreach program in one of WCS PNG’s remotest project site in the Souwi Valley.Early this month (5th September) two WCS PNG staff members were inducted to carry out the health program.Colgate Dentist Dr Shirley Kauba introduced the company’s Bright Smiles, Bright F...

READ THE STORY

(September 14, 2014) Mangrove ecosystems are a vital habitat for coastal communities providing an important source of coastal protection, timber resources, and fish nursery areas.Imparting knowledge and skills to locals and students on the importance of mangroves can help sustain the livelihoods of coastal people and help them adapt to climate change.Four environmental science students of the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) recently completed an intensive three weeks work experience on Mangrove Health Assessment ...

READ THE STORY

(September 04, 2014) The Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea program (WCS PNG) seeks applications for four positions based in the organisation’s New Ireland team, Kavieng, New Ireland Province. Candidates are sought in the following areas: 1. Community Engagement Officer2. Senior Marine Biologist3. Marine Biologist4. Agricultural Support Officer To request further details and a full job description please contact Ms Marygrace Wanamp (email: mwanamp@wcs.org; Telephone 532 3494) and sp...

READ THE STORY

(July 07, 2014) WSC PNG has continued its work on clan boundary mapping (CBM) in the central region of Manus Island. The purpose of the mapping is to assist local communities to protect the last remaining intact tropical rainforest that occurs in the central Manus. Other parts of the island have been extensively and indiscriminately logged in the past two decades. WCS PNG’s GIS officer, Jacob Kimagl spent three months from February to April in Manus carrying out clan boundary mapping. His work covered the...

READ THE STORY

(June 11, 2014) Traditional bilas (adornment) has been a part of the Papua New Guinean culture for centuries. The use of bird’s feathers was and is still the most common and spectacular sight during cultural shows and festivals. In the recent years, PNG’s cultural heritage and the cultural shows have gained recognition widely thus resulting in the demand for more birds’ feathers for the adornment (bilas). Over hunting and several other factors have threatened and led to a decline in the number...

READ THE STORY

(June 10, 2014) WCS PNG programme recently celebrated a milestone following the announcement of one of its employee as a recipient of the 2014 WCS Global Employee recognition award. John Kuange,Community Engagement Team leader (pictured) was the proud recipient of the award. The Employee Recognition Award is an annual initiative of the WCS Headquarters in New York,USA. It acknowledges its full- time employees that show high values and commitment held by WCS by honoring them under three different categories; the...

READ THE STORY

(February 27, 2014) WCSPNG is implementing a Village-REDD+ demonstration activity on Manus Island inthe largest remaining area of forest in the Admiralty Islands. REDD+ (“ReducedEmissions from Deforestation and Degradation” with the “+” referring tosustainable forest management, enhancement of carbon stocks, and conservation)is a new approach to conserving tropical forests in Papua New Guinea and aimsto protect the carbon in PNG’s forests by working with individual clans andcommunities...

READ THE STORY

(February 27, 2014) WCS is working with supportfrom the David & Lucille Packard Foundation on a program to enable localcommunities to manage small-scale fisheries in Papua New Guinea, with thisproject initially being undertaken in New Ireland Province. On the 13 and 14February 2014 WCS hosted a fisheries stakeholders meeting in Kavieng, NewIreland, to hold an initial project workshop for region-wide priority setting. Representatives from the National Fisheries College, Provincial FisheriesAuthority, Provinci...

READ THE STORY

(February 27, 2014) A strikingly beautiful blue damselfly (a close relative of thedragonfly) named Hylaeargia lisae is the first newspecies to be scientifically described from the WCS Hindenburg Wallbiodiversity expedition of 2013 (follow this link for more on the Hindenburg Wall). TheWCS expedition took place at an area known as the Hindenburg Wall which is aseries of limestone escarpements and plateaus running some 50 km within theStar Mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Western Province.   The epic ...

READ THE STORY

(February 27, 2014) WCS’s New Ireland program recently completed its Marine Field Coursewith all 21 students successfully attending this three week course duringNovember and December 2013. This field course is the only specialized marinecourse in PNG and teaches students a wide range of practical skills andtheoretical knowledge, ranging from course modules on fisheries biology,mangrove and sea grass ecosystems, and sampling and statistical analysis.  Morethan 80 applicants were received by WCS, with the...

READ THE STORY