The Plight and Rescue of the Leatherback Turtle in PNG

19 October 2005

WHAT:DEC-WWF And Partners present “PNG’s Unique Biodiversity and the Plight and Rescue of the Critically Endangered Leatherback turtle”

WHEN:36TH Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting,3-5 pm, Wednesday, 26th October

WHERE:Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

WHO:Minister for Environment and Conservation, Hon. William Duma, LLB, LLM, MP and senior Government officials from Papua New Guinea, Minster For Forests, Environment and Conservation, Solomon Islands Hon. David Holosivi, Minster for Fisheries and Marine resources, Hon. Mathias Taro, Solomon Islands, Hon. Alex Lokopio PG, Primer Western Province, Solomon Islands, H.E Amb Johannes R. G. Djopara, Indonesia Ambassador to PNG, Director General Designate WWF, Mr. James. P. Leape, WWF Asia Pacific turtle coordinator Ms. Liz Mclellan and community representatives from the principal leatherback nesting beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

WHY:The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) And Partners in Papua New Guinea are gearing up for the 36th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). During the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP) meeting session on the 26 October, they will be hosting a joint presentation on biodiversity programmes of Papua New Guinea and the plight of the Critically endangered Western Pacific Leatherback turtle.

BACKGROUND
Ancient ocean voyagers, leatherback turtles have lived in our seas for over 150 million years, pre-empting the dinosaur age. Although protected under various national laws and international treaties, population trends show alarming rates of decline due to domestic and commercial exploitation of eggs, development and destruction of nesting beaches, accidental capture and drowning in fisheries using long-line and purse seining methods; ocean pollution and ingestion of plastic and other garbage.

DEC-WWF And Partners in conjunction with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Biodiversity (PINBio), will be hosting a two hour special presentation themed;

“PROSPERITY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE BIODIVERSITY USE & PROTECTION - IT’S NOW OR NEVER FOR VOYAGERS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES”

The Presentation will focus on various national research organizations and their partners’ programmes and projects promoting conservation and sustainable use of PNG’s rich biodiversity, followed by a collaborative session on the Western Pacific Leatherback turtles by Government and community representatives from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, as the principal custodians of the Western Pacific Leatherback turtle. The Leatherback turtle travels between the nesting grounds in these three countries onto feeding grounds as far as New Zealand and the United States.

Within and across these three countries, WWF is working with key conservation and science partners, communities and government to deliver an exciting Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion (BSSE) regional action programme. Bound together by a 50 year vision that includes:

“a marine environment that will serve as a bank for its people…..a region linked by the migratory paths of turtles and fish….a marine environment that will live in the dreams, stories, languages and songs of its people for many generations to come.“

This special presentation celebrates a significant tri-national step towards achieving this shared vision,” said Liz Wilson, WWF Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion Coordinator.

This presentation provides an opportunity to acknowledge the programmes of the Secretariat for Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council (WPRFMC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who play a major role in providing financial and technical support for communities and Governments of these three countries to address the plight of the Western Pacific Leatherback turtle populations.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PRESENTATION:

  • Showcasing PNG’s biodiversity through the programme areas of PINBio;
  • Celebrating conservation achievements through the presentation of WWF leadership awards to community leaders representing Jamursba Medi, Tetapare Descendants Association, Kamiali Integrated Conservation Development Group (KICDG), and the Huon Leatherback turtle network (HLTN) in recognition of their leatherback turtle protection programmes. Presenters include the WWF Director General Designate Mr. James P. Leape and WWF Asia Pacific Marine Turtle Programme Coordinator Ms. Liz McLellan;
  • Providing an avenue for the three Governments to make a “collective statement of intent” that pledges their support and commitment to a tri-national programme of action for the protection of Western Pacific Leatherback turtle populations;
  • Presenting an opportunity for other Governments and donors to participate and support this exciting initiative

Prior to the presentation on the 26 October, a Pre- PIF meeting will be held from the 20-21 October at Holiday Inn, Port Moresby. Senior government representatives from the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and PNG are expected to discuss the fate and current status of the Leatherback populations, leading to the development of a tri-national commitment statement to ensure a programme of action for the protection of this endangered species.

The main aims and activities of the two day meeting are to:

  • Map out the critical migratory routes and nesting beaches of the Western Pacific Leatherback populations in each of the three countries
  • Review the commitment statement and programme of action to be finalized at a later date
  • Prepare the “statement of intent” to be presented during the presentation on the 26 October during the PIF-CROP segment
  • Highlight issues that need to be considered by the PIF process

Key outcomes of this meeting will include a “statement of intent” and an identified date for the signing of this commitment agreement between the three countries.

Read More Voyagers without Boundaries feature article Bismark Solomon Seas Ecoregion Leatherback Turtle facts on Panda.org WWF Indonesia's Bismark Solomon Seas

For further information, call Peku Pilimbo/Liz Wilson on (675) 323 9855 or email Liz at lwilson@wwfpacific.org.pg, the DEC-WWF And Partners Organizing Committee.