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Biosafety issues are becoming very contentious today given the uncertainty of the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the environment, biodiversity and the people. There are those that view GMOs as an answer to alleviating world hunger and mitigating global health problems through the introduction of new and technologically advanced GMO for food, feed, food processing and pharmaceuticals. Then there is the other group that argue that GMOs pose a risk to the environment, biological diversity and the safety and health of the people.

The relatively remote islands of Manus and Mussau, located in the northern portion of the Bismark sea have been long identified as key biodiversity areas in Papua New Guinea and within greater Melanesia. Manus Island has long been known for its endemism and relatively intact forest, while Mussau Island, although relatively unstudied, has been ecognised as an Endemic Bird Area.

Coral bleaching events around the world appear to be increasing in frequency and severity, with the 2002 bleaching events reportedly causing greater coral mortality than those in 1998. The primary driver is global (i.e. excessive CO2 production in industrial countries), while the impact is local, and highly variable. Ecological, and consequent socio-economic impacts of coral bleaching may not be measurable in relatively lightly bleached areas, such as Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, for perhaps 10 or more years, though medium to long term (10-50 years) impacts might well be dramatic.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest Pacific Island country in total land area (some 460,000 square kilometers (sq
km) and second in respect to ocean area (some 3 million sq km within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). PNG’s
population of over some 6 million people is sparsely distributed: population density strands at about 9 people per
sq km which is the lowest in the south pacific region.

The corals reefs of Australia and Papua New Guinea cover 19% of the world’s total reef area and contain levels of biological diversity approaching the ‘hot spots’ of the Philippines and Indonesia. Human pressures on these reefs are lower than in other parts of the world (particularly SE Asia). The reefs of eastern Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), have a long history of research and monitoring and world leading management.

Coral Reefs, Seagrass beds, mangroves, sand and mud shore and intertidal flats, Barrier dunes and their associated lagoons, deltaic floodplains and estuaries, rocky shorelines, reef walls and drop-off areas, sea mounts form the complex marine habitats of PNG. Marine organisms associated with this array of habitats are important components of the rich marine biodiversity of Papua New Guinea.

In the New Guinea region, the late-Quaternary environment since humans arrived 40,000- 60,000 years ago was affected by altitudinal fluctuations of vegetation zonation in the highlands and sea-level changes around the coasts, both linked to the glacial cycle, with significant changes around the Last Glacial Maximum and less dramatic adjustments consequent on the high-sea-level stand in the mid Holocene.

This first BUR presents an overview of PNG’s national circumstances relevant to climate change, summary results of the inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks for years 2000 through to 2015, and also presents information related to identified mitigation actions; constraints and gaps; the financial support received in relation to climate change activities and related financial, technical and capacity needs, including a description of support needed and received; information on national circumstances and institutional arrangements relevant to the preparation of n

This Initial National Communication contains a series of activities implemented by the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) in consultation with communities and nongovernment organisations since 1998. The Office of the Environment and Conservation (OEC) was tasked to co-ordinate the implementation of the initiative with UNDP and the appointed Coordinator to manage the project.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed and ratified as a Non-Annex I Party the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992 and 1994 resp. and the Kyoto Protocol in 1999 resp. 2002. The Initial National Communication was prepared in 2000, then got endorsed by cabinet in late 2001 and officially submitted after the ratification in 2002. The Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD) of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is the national focal point for the UNFCCC and is responsible for the preparation of this Second National Communication (SNC).

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has both very low absolute emissions and relatively low per capita emissions. The nation is, however, committed to also be a responsible global citizen contributes meaningfully to the reduction of global emissions by transitioning to a low carbon economy. PNG shares the deep concerns of its nearby Pacific Island neighbours in terms of existential threats to some of the more vulnerable low lying countries. In addition there are the same existential threats to coastal and low lying areas of PNG itself.

FAO, at the request of its member countries, regularly monitors the world´s forests and their management and uses through the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA). This country report is prepared as a contribution to the FAO publication, the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 (FRA 2015).

The Island of New Guinea is the largest tropical island in the world and contains the third largest tropical rainforest after Amazon Basin and Congo basin. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a well-known centre for biological endemism and diversification. Most forests in PNG are under customary ownership and play an important role in sustaining the traditional subsistence livelihoods of most of the population. Currently PNG’s forests are relatively intact. PNG’s forest covers 80% of the country’s land area and 60% of the forest are undisturbed.

The last devastating El Niño experienced in PNG in 1997 and 1998 caused a severe reduction in crop yields due to below average rainfall, with up to 80 per cent in many areas. An increased occurrence of frosts were experienced as low as 1,450m above sea level but with most affected areas above 2,200m in the Western Highlands, Southern Highlands and Central Provinces (Allen, 2000). Surveys (Barr, 1999) conducted throughout 1997 found virtually everyone in rural PNG was affected to some extent and an estimated 40 per cent were seriously affected.

This study aimed to assess the association between climate factors and the incidence ofchildhood pneumonia in Papua New Guinea quantitatively and to evaluate the variability of the effect size according to their geographic properties. The pneumonia incidence in children under five-year and meteorological factors were obtained from six areas, including monthly rainfall and the monthly average daily maximum temperatures during the period from 1997 to 2006 from national health surveillance data.

Papua New Guinea has a monsoonal climate characterized by high temperatures and humidity throughout the year. Two monsoonal seasons are recognized: the northwest monsoons, which occur from December to March, and the southwest Monsoons, which occur from May to October. Indeed, the country is home to one of the wettest climates of the world and rainfall in many areas of the country exceeds 2500 mm, with the heaviest events occurring in the highlands. Temperatures are relatively steady across the country, and mean temperatures in Port Moresby range from 26:C to 28:C.

The proposed Sustainable Highlands Highway Infrastructure Program (SHHIP) is envisaged as a ten- year, multi- partner, multi-tranche financing facility aiming to restore and upgrade the Highlands Highway in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The executing agency is the PNG Department of Works (DoW). The initial climate screening of SHHIP using AWARE determined the Investment Program to be at medium risk to climate and climate change. As a result, ADB procedures require that a climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) be undertaken during the design stage.

Climate change is already affecting millions of people worldwide. In urban areas, which are typically characterized by significantly higher population density, climate change will exacerbate and compound existing climate vulnerabilities, especially for the urban poor. As a result of climate change, it is expected that storm frequency and intensity will increase, flooding will become more serious and drought will affect food production in rural areas, which will have damaging effects in urban areas. Coastal areas are also threatened by inundation from storm surges and sea-level rise.