PNG secures global biodiversity framework fund support for community-led conservation

Local community woman from Digne Gumine Chimbu Province dressed in traditional attire

Papua New Guinea has secured approval for a major new biodiversity conservation project under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), marking a significant step toward strengthening community-led conservation and advancing the country’s national biodiversity commitments.

The project title, “Empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) for sustainable management and conservation of 700,000 hectares of critical ecosystems in three Highland provinces in Papua New Guinea”, will be implemented by the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The initiative will support indigenous peoples and local communities across Enga, Chimbu, and Jiwaka provinces to strengthen customary stewardship systems, protect globally significant biodiversity, and build sustainable livelihoods while contributing to Papua New Guinea’s efforts to achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the global 30x30 target to conserve at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030.

Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, with 78 per cent forest cover, which is among the highest in the world and home to species found nowhere else on Earth, including tree kangaroos, long-beaked echidnas, and rare Birds-of-Paradise. This biodiversity has been sustained for generations through customary stewardship by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who own approximately 97 percent of the country’s landmass.

The newly approved project recognises and strengthens this stewardship by supporting conservation governance systems that combine traditional knowledge with modern planning tools, ensuring that local conservation efforts are formally recognized, resourced, and sustained over the long term.

Local community men from Digne Gumine Chimbu Province dressed in traditional attire. 

Managing director of Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), Jude Tukuliya, said: “It is very important to protect biodiversity including forests which our people have depended on for generations to sustain their livelihoods. This project is significant in this period of time where our people are faced with many challenges including impacts of climate change, natural disasters, and competing interests from other development projects such as logging and mining. 

“Communities throughout Papua New Guinea who are custodians of the natural environment have continued to maintain the rich biodiversity within this natural environment for many generations. 

“It is vital that we continue to work with communities to maintain this natural environment to ensure biodiversity is protected through their traditional methods as well as integrating with modern approaches. While ensuring that community livelihoods are supported through environment friendly approaches as part of the project.”Head of Office for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Papua New Guinea, Dr. Kachen Wongsathapornchai, said: “This project shows that conservation succeeds when it delivers real value to the communities who call the forest home. Protecting biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods are not competing goals—they are one and the same. By advancing biodiversity-positive production, we make environmental protection a driver of stronger food systems and rural economies. As a GEF-accredited agency, FAO is proud to support CEPA and partners at all levels. We stand with communities not as beneficiaries, but as long-term partners—ensuring that Papua New Guinea’s customary landowners are the true stewards and beneficiaries of a food-secure, climate-resilient future.”The project will support:

• Improved management of more than 272,000 hectares of protected areas and community conservation landscapes; 

• Restoration of 5,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems; 

• Biodiversity-friendly practices across 7,000 hectares of agricultural land; 

• Strengthened recognition of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to better reflect Papua New Guinea’s true conservation footprint; 

• Development of sustainable financing mechanisms, including biodiversity incentives and ecosystem service models; 

• Direct benefits for at least 20,000 people, with 50 percent women beneficiaries, through improved livelihoods, inclusive governance, and strengthened local institutions. 

The project also aims to establish ecological corridors across the Highlands, helping species adapt to climate change while fostering collaboration and peacebuilding across communities through shared stewardship of natural resources.

By aligning biodiversity conservation with sustainable economic opportunities such as agroforestry, organic agriculture, ecotourism, and market access for biodiversity-friendly products, the project will reduce pressure on natural ecosystems while supporting resilient local economies.

The approval reinforces Papua New Guinea’s growing role as a global leader in community-led conservation and demonstrates how Indigenous stewardship can deliver practical solutions to the biodiversity crisis.

As countries work to translate global biodiversity commitments into meaningful local action, Papua New Guinea’s Highlands offer a powerful example: conservation succeeds when it begins with the communities who have protected nature for generations.