Marine
Biodiversity Conservation and Research
Motupore Island Research Centre |
| HOME | Location | Personnel | Facilities | Research | Education | VIP | Booking MIRC Facilities | Links | Contact Us |
Marine
Biodiversity Conservation and Research
Funding Organisation: The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Funds Awarded: 95,000 US Dollars (approximately 290,000 Kina)
Duration: January 2006 – January 2008
The purpose of this project, over a period of 2 years, is to strengthen local capacities for marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Motupore Island Marine Biodiversity Unit (MIMBU) was established in January 2006. MIMBU is staffed by 3 PNG personnel, managed by the existing MIRC Director, and overseen by an Advisory Board comprised of representatives nominated by the PNG Marine Conservation Network (PNG MCN) Coordinating Committee and the PNG Institute of Biodiversity (PINBio). The Advisory Board and MIRC Director will guide MIMBU's development. MIMBU will act as a focal point for marine biodiversity studies and training directly relevant to the Convention on Biological Diversity and in line with the basic mission of PinBio which is the promotion of (i) a new awareness of the values of PNG's natural biodiversity and (ii) the means for capturing these global values at national and local levels, thereby achieving natural biodiversity conservation and improved quality of life. MIMBU will interact closely with other marine initiatives in PNG, including the Wildlife Conservation Society coral reef monitoring and training programmes, the work of the Locally Managed Marine Area Network, and the activities of Mahonia Na Dari, the PNG MCN forum, the Marine Scientific Research Committee (MSRC) and the MacArthur Foundation funded project on strengthening conservation capacity in PNG (SCC PNG). The formation of such a dedicated marine biodiversity unit, with research and training capability, is widely supported within the PNG marine conservation and research community.
MIMBU is currently making inroads into the development of a marine biodiversity database for PNG, a human resources database, an outreach programme and a training needs assessment. The unit is staffed by 2 Research and Training Officers (Ms Jane Wia and Mr Rickson Lis) and an Administration and Education Officer (Mr Eddison Silas).
 |
Back to Research Projects |