PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Karu, New Ireland Province - January 2008
Village agriculture project in exchange for the establishment of a 297-acre no-take coastal marine conservation area
New Ireland Province, northeast of the New Guinea mainland in the Bismarck Archipelago, is characterized by extensive fringing reefs circling its mainland, most of which are still relatively pristine. In Central New Ireland the primary threat to these reefs is overfishing by a rapidly expanding coastal population that has few alternatives for food or income. Six clans in four remote villages around Karu Village, comprising over 100 people, wish to develop a village agriculture project. Food will be produced both for village consumption to improve nutrition, reduce the impact on surrounding coastal waters; and to sell at markets on nearby Lihir Island, the site of a large gold mine. Main activities will be rice production and poultry and pig farming. The village has pledged to establish a 297-acre reef and lagoon no-take marine conservation area, and see this commitment as closely linked to building up their agriculture activities.
