A three day in-house CEPA Data Portal training is currently underway in CEPA’s office in Port Moresby from 26th-28th of October. The participants were briefed about the importance of data storage and usage. An analysis was done by the Inform Project Team indicates that a total 29,414 users have accessed the CEPA Environment Data Portal since its inception, between 2018 and 2020. Out of 41,190 sessions, 29,907 users are new users, with 18,173 users (61%) from PNG alone.
The Government of Papua New Guinea (GOPNG) ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on the 6th December, 2000, and it became effective on the 6th March, 2001. With it was the commitment to implement this agreement in the country and report on its programmes and activities to the Secretariat regularly. The call for the development and implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) is considered a priority for the GOPNG to meet its international obligations under the UNCCD.
The Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) staff undergo a three day environment data portal training in Port Moresby from 26-28 October, 2020. The portal was established by CEPA with funding received from the United Nation Environmental Program (UNEP) through the Secratariat of Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP). The purpose of the training was to upskill the staff on the importance of data sharing, storage, and polulating for transparency and planning purposes .
Considered as one of the world’s biodiversity rich countries, Papua New Guinea ranks among the megadiverse countries and the last frontiers for biodiversity conservation. This land of diversity hosts 6-8% of the global species, hosts one-sixth of known languages, and rivals Borneo, the Amazon and the Congo in terms of biodiversity wealth. PNG comprises the eastern half of the largest tropical island on earth, along with hundreds of smaller outlying islands, and its land mass only occupying less than 0.5% of the world’s total
Wild populations of PNG’s freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae) and saltwater crocodile (C.porosus) have been subject to management programs designed during the early 1980’s.
The CEPA-JICA Biodiversity Project and Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), in collaboration with Exxon Mobil PNG LNG Ltd and PNG Mama Graun Trust Fund, successfully hosted the biodiversity and Conservation seminar at Gateway Hotel, Port Moresby, from 16th-20th October. The theme of the seminar was “Conservation and development challenges.
^Varirata National Park is PNGs first protected area, declared in 1969 (©Biatus Bito).
Customary landowners, custodians of 97% of land in PNG, recognise many areas of land and sea as “tambu” – areas of special spiritual significance. Customary landownership is therefore integral to PNGs 2.1 million hectares in its 59 protected areas. Protected areas sustain livelihoods, help maintain culture, provide tourism opportunities, store carbon, and protect biodiversity.
Second Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting for J-PRISM II was successfully held at Laguna Hotel, Port Moresby, PNG on 16th April 2019.
J-PRISM II is a region-wide project in Pacific Islands targeting “Human and institutional capacity base for sustainable Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the Pacific region is strengthened through implementation of Cleaner Pacific 2025.”
So much literature has been written about PNGRIS (Keig and Quigley 1995) and the usage of its datasets for various analysis Nix, H. A et al (2000) even to this day. From these references it is known that PNG occupies approximately 464,100 km2 of landmass excluding the maritime area out of which Peat-soils occupy 17% (~78,830 km2). From visual inspection of the PNGRIS Peat-soils Map and Peat Depth obtained from Tropical SubTropical - CIFOR Peatlands Imagery showed degradation of Peat-soils especially in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.