CCDA and stakeholders finalized plan to build climate resilient communities in PNG

The Government of Papua New Guinea through its agency Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) under the Projects and Adaptation branch is implementing a USD$24.25 million grant from the Climate Investment Fund (CIF), administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The grant project known as Building Resilience to Climate Change (BRCC) in PNG has started in 2016 and will end in 2021 in five (5) selected provinces (Autonomous Region of Bougainvillea, Manus, Morobe, East New Britain and Milne Bay). 

At least 24 small islands and atolls were selected from these provinces through a participatory process using an ADB-recommended and identified risk factors and vulnerability assessment.

 The primary aim of this project is to mainstream climate resilience into development plans by the government to address country priorities that focus on vulnerable communities.

A week ago, a planning workshop with relevant stakeholders was conducted from 11^th March to the 13^th March 2020 in Port Moresby at the CCDA office at Dynasty Tower, Savannah Heights to look at key activities achieved so far with as milestones and planning for the implementation of the next phase into the remaining 22 months.

Dr. Jake Tio, Team Leader from Particip GmbH consultancy, explaining a point during the workshop to the participants. Pictured by Peter Kinjap. 

BRCC Project Director Jacob Ekinye explaining to the participants about the project deliverable and updates of progress to date. Pictured by Peter Kinjap.  

Participants from private sector, international organizations, government departments and provincial focal persons attending the BRCC 2020 planning workshop in Port Moresby. Pictured by Peter Kinjap.

A provincial participant raising a question during the workshop to learn more about how they can implement the project in the provinces. Pictured by Peter Kinjap. 

 

The planning workshop was to discuss activities to implement the next phase based on the baseline survey conducted in 2019. Climate change vulnerability assessments were also conducted during the last past years and adaptation plans were developed for the targeted communities.

In its implementation phase, there will be three (3) main components referred to as outputs; the first output is the climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning activities. In this component, it was discussed during the planning meeting that vulnerability assessments were completed and adaptation plans were developed for the identified targeted communities. This includes a completion of vulnerability and adaptation mapping in 24 vulnerable islands. With the provincial governments as stakeholders, the project plans were integrated into the district development plans.

Climate change vulnerability assessments typically contain a synthesis of the currently available scientific information to describe the degree to which the key resources, ecosystems, or other features of interest are affected (adversely or beneficially) by the variability of current climate or the potential changes in climate on those selected islands and atolls.

Climate change vulnerability assessment is more than measuring potential harm using information about climate impacts. It includes an assessment of the Maritime Provinces’ or the sector's ability to adapt. The assessment of vulnerability to existing climate variability and extremes is a necessary starting point for any adaptation.

The BRCC project has establish a Small Grant Facility (SGF) to finance community-based projects that are identified in the selected 24 islands and atolls. This is additional to other activities towards building resilience on the islands and atolls.  

Further it will supply and install 200 water supplies and 100 sanitation facilities. There will be emergency development plans and training of locals from the targeted islands.

The second component or output two is the sustainable fishery ecosystems and food security.

A conventional idea of a sustainable fishery is that it is one that is harvested at a sustainable rate, where the fish population does not decline over time because of fishing practices.

A sustainable fishery has sufficient spawning fish to produce the next generation, while allowing fishing to take place. But this is threatened with the changes in the climate patterns and endangers the populations.

Food security is about people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

This stage is focused on supporting those who are most food insecure and in need of food immediately. Examples include food banks (stocking up food, preserving), school lunch programs, and other programs that give food to people in need without requiring any type of commitment in return.

The three (3) main threats to food security are (1) the disappearance of the variety of agricultural plant species (2) the increase in the area of scarcity water and the limitation of the availability of land and (3) the food losses and food waste.

The three components of food security are availability (having sufficient quantities of appropriate food available), access (having adequate income or other resources to access food), and utilization/consumption (having adequate dietary intake and the ability to absorb and use nutrients in the body)—provide the basis for.

The third component or the output three on this project is building climate-resilient coastal infrastructure & early warning communications systems.

The early warning systems are in most instances, timely surveillance systems that collect information on epidemic-prone diseases in order to trigger prompt public health interventions. However, these systems rarely apply statistical methods to detect changes in trends, or sentinel events that would require intervention.

Early warning system is any system of biological or technical nature deployed by an individual or group to inform of a future danger. Its purpose is to enable the deployer of the warning system to prepare for the danger and act accordingly. Warnings cannot be effective unless people react to them.

For the five pilot provinces on the BRCCC project, the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) will install radio communication devices to communicate and report to the nearby disaster centre to serve as a warning to take its citizens.  

In the next article, we will look closer at each pilot province and districts on their specific adaptation plans and climate resilient measures. For more information and how to participate on this project, you can contact the BRCC Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) via email at: brccpng2016@gmail.com  Until then see you next week with another piece on climate change resilience.

Building resilience to climate change will see crops grown in the vulnerable communities may find better options. Pic by BRCC project 2019.

A local farmer at his garden in Kiriwina Island, Milne Bay Province. Pic by BRCC project

Students in New Ireland form groups to plant Trees

The Climate Change Tribe - Team Blue Water. ITI students from Kavieng, in Lavatbura village, Central New Ireland.  First program carried out in the province by the ITI students..In groups of 4 to 5, in different locations.

This was in Lavatbura, while some at Omo village, others at Dome village on the island. This group planted 200 trees, while other groups planted to 500 trees as it was organized by their lecturers.

Image Credit: Fiona Laberong, March 2020.

CCDA pilots building climate resilience in Papua New Guinea

PNG is identified as one of the most vulnerable countries in the wake of global climate crisis. Lack of basic government services in the most remote parts of the country has further deteriorated isolated communities and increased the vulnerability.

As such, PNG needs the help and support that is available for climate resilience actions.

The impacts of climate change will only grow. Among those first affected are the small island communities and atolls in Papua New Guinea.

Observation of water tank at Piul Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainvillea. Image Credit. BRCC Project 2019

Despite the skeptics and critics, much is being done to respond. Led by the PNG Government through its agency the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), partners like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are doing their bit to support these efforts in Papua New Guinea.

Based on the recommendations of an Independent Expert Group, Papua New Guinea was selected as one of the countries in the Pacific to participate under an ADB funded project, Building Resilience to Climate Change in Papua New Guinea (BRCC).

The goal of this project is to help these countries transform to a climate resilient development path, consistent with national poverty reduction and sustainable development goals.

In its nature as a pilot project and supporting learning-by-doing, the program implementation ultimately aims to result in an increased application of knowledge on integration of climate resilience into development.

 

Focus group discussion at Kaileuna Island in Milne Bay province. Image Credit. BRCC Project 2019

 It seems that there is nowhere left on the planet where the effects of a changing climate are not being felt. Unfortunately, these affects of climate change are hitting developing countries harder than most.

Across the Pacific, a changing climate is expected to have a significant impact on future yields of everything from fish to rice, particularly in countries such as Papua New Guinea that are situated closer to the equator.

For Papua New Guinea, action against climate change requires continued and long-term commitment. The causes and consequences of climate change stretch far beyond the boundaries of individuals or individual countries. They are long-term and pervasive. Effective efforts require local, national and international action. Most importantly, it requires country ownership and political commitment.

This however must be done at the same time as supporting communities to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

During the last 50 years or so, increasing pressures on the resources are intensifying the country’s vulnerability due to extreme events such as natural hazards, including cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.   

Conducting individual assessment at Mortlock Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainvillie. Image Credit. BRCC project 2019

 In addition to these threats and pressures to the environment, expected changes that may arise from climate change and climate variability will likely further exacerbate these impacts and deplete the resources that are most essential for basic life support systems.

Papua New Guinea’s rural coastal populations, especially those living on small and atolls, remove, and low-lying coral islands and atolls, are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise and other weather-related manifestations of climate change.

Within the five target provinces (Manus, East New Britain, Bougainville, Morobe and Milne Bay) vulnerable communities have been identified on nearly 24 islands.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a $24.25 million (PGK82.91million) grant to help PNG build up its resilience and responsiveness to the impacts of climate change for these five provinces.

The project grant, funded from ADB’s Strategic Climate Fund, will help PNG’s Strategic Program for Climate Resilience integrate climate risk and resilience planning into development policies. It will also help PNG raise its development planning capacity, allowing the government to scale up investments in climate resilience. 

The program aims to mainstream climate resilience into development planning in vulnerable communities in 24 vulnerable islands and atolls in the provinces of Bougainville, East New Britain, Manus, Milne Bay, and Morobe provinces.

The project outputs include conducting climate change and vulnerability assessments and preparing adaptation plans for vulnerable communities; piloting sustainable fishery ecosystems and food security investments in some target areas; and establishing a framework for climate-resistant infrastructure. An Early Warning System (EWS) linked to Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center will be improved.
 
According to ADB’s Economics of Climate Change in the Pacific, report, Papua New Guinea’s economy is likely to suffer the biggest losses in the Pacific from climate change impacts. The report estimates that severe failures in sweet potato and other agricultural crops, as well as land losses due to a rise in the sea level, and other impacts from climate change, could trigger a loss of up to 15.2% of PNG’s GDP by 2100 (ADB report 2014).

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

Asian Development Bank (ABD) and the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed the grant and project agreements to help PNG build its resilience to the impacts of climate change on the 15^th January 2016, which will see six (6) years project period till 2021. 

Community consultation at Karawara Island in East New Britain. Image Credit. BRCC project 2019

 In the next article, we look at the three (3) main components of the Building Resilience to Climate Change (BRCC) project in Papua New Guinea, particularly in the five selected provinces; that is, Manus, East New Britain, Morobe, Buka and Milne Bay.

The BRCC project aims to improve capacities of communities, mostly in the vulnerable islands/atoll as well as with the relevant government agencies and civil society organizations to respond to the impacts of climate change.

The core of the BRCC project activities include assessment of vulnerability and developing adaptation plans with the communities, sustaining fishery eco-systems and food security investments piloted in the nine (9) vulnerable island and atoll communities and enabling framework for climate-resilient government infrastructure.

NB: More stories and photos about the BRCC project in PNG will be posted on this blog.

...............The End...............

"One person one Tree" campaign in PNG capital aims for one million trees annually to save environment

To mark the World Environment Day anniversary, #AmazingPortMoresby aims to plant one million trees each year as part of its ‘One Person, One Tree’ campaign, NCD Governor Powes Parkop revealed.

To continue the campaign, Indian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency Vijai Kumar, United National Resident Coordinator Gianluca Rampolla, Moresby South MP Justin Tkatchenko, Motu Koita Chairman Dadi Toka Jnr and representatives from the business community and city residents joined Governor Parkop who led the city to take actions and to recommit to save the environment.

    To mark the World Environment Day, Governor Powes Parkop and his deputy Dadi Toka Jnr with Indian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency, Vijai Kumar (second from left), UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Gianluca Rampolla (eighth from left) and others posing for a photograph in front of one of the kwila trees planted this morning at shorefront of Idubada to Kanudi as part of Governor Parkop’s initiative ‘One person One tree’ campaign which was launched on Sunday. Image Credit: NCD Media Unit

They took turns in planting 20 kwila trees this morning at the foreshore of Idubada to Kanudi.

The campaign was launched on Sunday, June 02, 2019 with other two initiatives.  

The two initiatives include Eco club program at various schools in the city and the greenest, safe, clean and beautiful street or community.

“Let’s make a greater commitment to protecting the only planet we have. Mother Earth is very sick and unwell. The signs are already obvious. Climatic changes, unusual weather patterns, sea level rising, extreme weather, poor air quality and the list goes on. If we do not act now, we will jeopardize our own future and that of our children, and the many generations to come!” warned Governor Parkop who is a strong environment advocate.

He made reference to the Bible that Garden of Eden was a beautiful, pristine, clean and safe environment.

 “Today we not only made a moving appeal, announcements and pledges, but we took action to do our part to contribute to improve the health of our unwell struggling planet and environment.

 Parkop planting a tree as part of eco club program for schools and ‘One Person, One Tree’ campaign to mark the International Environment Day at Seseve Morea Elementary school. Image Credit: NCD Media Unit

“We have launched the initiative to plant a million trees in Port Moresby. If one person can plant one tree in Port Moresby, we can have a million trees in Port Moresby soon as our population is almost a million,” he said.

Calling on the National Government to declare June 5 as a Public Holiday- a day of Action for the Environment-in PNG, he said they might consider implementing ‘the plastic use ban’ when the National Government makes a decision on investing in recycling, reuse and reduce of non-degradable materials.

“ACTION is WHAT IS NEEDED! Not words, proclamations, pledges and more Conventions on Climatic Change! Local and Global Action. Be a Force for Nature in Amazing Port Moresby,” he said.

Governor Powes Parkop, the Indian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency, Vijai Kumar (left) and UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Gianluca Rampolla planting a tree as part of Governor Parkop’s initiative ‘One person One tree’ campaign which was launched on Sunday. Image Credit: NCD Media Unit

His Excellency Vijai Kumar said his country is fully supporting this initiative taken by the Governor Parkop and pledged to support him in the campaign to realise it.

He said volunteers in India planted 66 million trees in one day in 2017.

Sharing similar sentiments, UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Gianluca Rampolla described Governor Parkop’s initiative as important.

“We will try and compete with India, China and Singapore. PNG’s richness is its natural endowment. It has the highest level of biodiversity in the world. The third biggest tropical forest in the world. Its wealth in terms of breathe and ocean is incapable to anywhere else in the world. So, we all need to cherish it, protect it and sustain it to a standard that is God has given us,” said Rampolla.

Climate Change Activist proposes Nov 03 as ‘PNG's National Environment Repentance Day’

Climate crisis is a global crisis and is already a multi-sector issue. It takes every living person in this decade to do something, be big or small, to reduce the carbon emissions and preparing to adapt to changes in weather patterns. A Nickson McManga, 35 years, from Kumdii in Western Highlands is PNG’s Greta Thunberg in a small way. Nickson’s voice on climate change issues may not be as big as that of Greta’s at the global scale but time calls the climate change activist the "most compelling voice on the most important issue facing the planet”.  

Locals who used to work on the Mt. Hagen trek with Nickson McManga. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

PNG's climate change activist Nickson McManga. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

Nickson did his research, collecting and digesting the climate change information using the internet. He is a local environmental activist, starting from his home village in Kumdii, telling people in every public gathering when he had the chance about the impacts of the global climate changes. He is creative and very vocal on climate issues.

“The world is approaching towards catastrophic climate impact, growing old each day. Amongst many approaches taken to address climate crisis, there is one effective approach remaining and that is planting more trees,” Nickson said.

“Tree planting can only help reduce great amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heat,” he added.

Tree planting initiatives already exist, but the concept has to be simple and sustainable for the stakeholders to participate in the program.

Nickson started a local environmental and eco-tourism activism group known as “Paradise of Kumdii Climate Change Awareness”. The group comprised of well-known climate crews from Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands who volunteered to travel from Kumdii village trekking to Kumul lodge, about 3-days track-walk.

A tree is being planted by Nickson's volunteer crew. Image credit. T4G PNG.

At the Mt Hagen Trekking, Nickson with part of this 7-men squad to plant trees. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

“We normally host national climate change awareness programs at end of October each year to the first week of November. About 7-men on a 7-days journey from Western Highlands to the coastal capital city Port Moresby by walking all the way,” an energized McManga said.

“The purpose of this walkathon is to make people aware of the effects of climate change and to promote ecotourism in Papua New Guinea as well. To celebrate, promote, and encourage our people to protect and preserve our unique cultures and traditions and the pristine environments in which we live in through ecotourism practices in Papua New Guinea,” he added.

“Everyone is now talking about the impact of climate change – from diplomats to politicians to NGOs and individuals from within Papua New Guinea and abroad. But to support the campaign against the effects of climate change, those 7-men have planted 30 trees each in their own communities before they commence their journey from Mt. Hagen to Port Moresby via Lae, by boat to Popodetta and trekking Kokoda to Port Moresby,” he said.

“We have continued to carry out this program for the last three years. At a later stage, all men above age of 18 years old will be tasked to plant 3 trees to commemorate November 3rd of every year to support Paris Climate Change agreement,” Nickson said.

“Since 2018 to 2019 and this year 2020 will be the final year for our three years of volunteer awareness for climate change. We choose the date of November 3rd because we normally arrive consecutively on the first week of November for the last 2 years. Therefore, we the volunteers proposed November 3rd to be observed as a “National Environment Repentance Day”, Mr. McManga said. 

On the day, every year round, the following activities can be observed;

1) Every men and women above age of 18 shall plant 3 trees each
2) Environment Repentance day is to repent from our bad actions towards earth and environment, for it defile the Earth and its inhabitants and the nature.
3) Awareness on the important of tree and its long term sustainable development to address Climate Change and the benefits to the environment and society in which we live.

Nickson's 7-men squad posing for a picture after long hours of trekking. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

Nickson's 7-men team along the Kokoda Trek. Image Credit. T4G PNG

Tree Planting Concept

“So far we have planted 420 trees already along the Mt. Hagen Trek, this year the 7-men crew will continue to plant another 30 trees each before continue their journey. The total of 630 trees will be panted after 3 years of campaign by those 7-men, as part of our volunteerism to support global climate change,” McManga said.

“If Papua New Guinea Government through the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment Protection accept our volunteer policy on the tree planning concept, it is anticipated that in the future we can save millions of kina by planting millions trees on an easy and most effective and convenient way. If we have the PNG National Environment Repentance Day gazette into the National Events Council to be observed nationwide, than it will become an individual concern to take care of our environment and look after it,” he added.  

“If we have 8-million populations in Papua New Guinea, let’s say 5-million of them are above the age of 18 years old. Out of the 5-million if 2.2 million people can participate at the first stage of tree planting by starting off next year 2021 we can approximately plant 6.6 million trees,” a concerned McManga said.

“And what if after 3 years 5-million people above age of 18 plants 3 tree on every year comes November 3rd. I suggest a total of 15-million trees can be planted all across Papua New Guinea. May be we can achieve 2030 vision for United Nations (UN) for 10-million trees in just one year? Just imaging after 7 years, how many tree will be planted...? Nearly a billion trees,” Nickson said.

One of the Mt. Hagen Tree planting crew planting a tree. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

PNG's Climate Change Activist Nickson McManga with a tree seedling ready to plant. Image Credit. T4G PNG.

Nickson come from a background of pastoring with Healing The Land (HTL) missionary group after graduating with a Certificate in Bible Translation at Aiyura Summer Institute of Linguistics in Eastern Highlands Province. For the last 10 years, he has been studying and working with the environment and human activities, repentance to environment damages caused with HTL through which he finds his inspiration to advocate for environmental concerns and fight for climate crisis.   

“We would like to extend our interest to participate in the upcoming tree planting program facilitated and funded by World Bank/USAID through the office of Minister for Environment Conservation & Climate Change Department. As we are genuine volunteers and stakeholder for such activity. If there is any possibility for us to carry out tree planting in the upper-highlands, we are ready,” he lamented. 

McManga is pushing the idea to be accepted by the Government of Papua New Guinea via Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) as well as Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) to commemorate November 3 as PNG’s National Environment Repentance Day. The World Environment Day falls on June 05^th every year.

Nickson’s group has teamed up with Travel4Green (T4G) PNG, www.t4gpng.org, on its planting 10-million Trees by 2030 program. T4G PNG is a not-for-profit private project that has a nationwide volunteer network on climate change issues, including planting more trees/mangroves and also to conserve the standing forests and REDD+ awareness and education.         

The article is first being published on PNG Attitude Blog - https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/03/lets-have-an-environment-repentance-day.html

Planting a 10-Million Trees by 2030 to fight Climate Change in PNG

Both in government corridors and private sector spaces, environmental conservation has become hot topic these days. Whether we talk about an International Conference or the launch of a new green project, everyone seems to be talking about preserving Earth while incorporating a great deal of green innovative efforts to make the use cases more efficient. 

Every city in the world has contributed to the damages of the environmental causes and climate change and thus it requires every city in the world to take actions to correct the suffocating of the Earth.

Unfortunately, Pacific Island countries are significantly exposed to the environmental disruption than the rest of the planet. Some may argue that it is not our doing that we encounter this environmental disaster. While others may say that we are part of the contribution to the global greenhouse effect not in a big way like those factories and developed countries but in our daily lives we have harness and widely used made-made things which are foreign to the natural environment such as plastics bags. In the last couple of years, we have observed a considerable rise in floods, cyclones, volcanoes, storms, bushfires and landslides in the very region.

While bushfire in Australia rampaging the region, Fiji has been hit hard by cyclone in recent times. Meanwhile, PNG has recorded the first climate change refugees in the world due to rising sea levels.

Climate change is real and it requires everyone’s active participation in the either adaption or mitigation measures. PNG is a resilience society and offers the world a third of its ‘lungs’ with the intact forests.

In the streets of Port Moresby, notices have been placed by NCD not to cut trees. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap

NCD's public notice to refrain people from cutting down trees. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap

As responsible citizens and being member of the global community, we can add value to the global solutions and contribute to the world’s lungs. And that is to plant more trees where applicable and possible. Travel4Green (T4G) PNG is a climate change mitigation project that wishes to sustain the indigenous intact forests in the country and plant more trees under its “10-million trees by 2030 in PNG” program.

Being the second-largest island in the World, with a virgin forest area covering 29 million out of the country’s 46.28 million hectares of landmass, the move towards planting more trees is quite significant.

Rain-tree nursery setup by T4G in Port Moresby. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap

 The primary aim of Travel4Green (T4G) PNG establishment is to sustain the forests while minimizing the impact of the carbon footprint on our environment. This not-for-profit private project that would allow travelers to determine the amount of carbon footprint they leave in each country and then calculate their contribution to global emissions as well.

Travel4Green (T4G) PNG will determine, record and show the tourists as to how ‘negatively impacting’ their trip was to the efforts of the local and international communities. In the long run, this project will gather a significant amount of data that can be viewed and interpreted in the future to determine the pros and cons of tourism by applying certain filters/conditions.

One of T4G’s objectives is to plant 10-million trees by 2030 in PNG. Trees create the very air we breathe and filter air pollution. Trees also help to reduce ozone levels in urban areas.

 Most importantly, trees sequester carbon, helping to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, which cools the earth.

When you plant trees in your yard and around your home, they'll provide shade to cool your home and windbreaks to reduce cold winds. So start planting trees in your community - in parks, around schools, hospitals or clinics and in urban areas too.

If you are residing in Port Moresby, you can plant trees in your own yard as long as the roots and branches would not damage nearby properties. T4G has a mini tree nursery setup in Morata 2 and now inviting city residents who wish to plant the rain trees around their yard may contact the writer to get seedlings.  

How far away from the house should one plant a tree? Determining the location of shade trees;

large trees, up to 70 metres or more should be planted at least 20 metres from the home, medium-sized trees up to 70 metres tall, 15 metres from the home, and small trees 30 metres tall or less, 8 to 10 metres from the home.

T4G's raintree nursey in Morata 2. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap

 In this way you are helping to fight global climate change. As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Trees also provide many benefits to us, every day.

Additionally, they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. A mature tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old.

Planting more trees is a great way to sequester carbon emissions. Through photosynthesis trees absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and wood. By ensuring that the trees planted are native broad leaf species you can help to preserve the world's environment and biodiversity.

Planting trees has the potential to deliver huge benefits for our environment, our people, our communities and our economy as well.

Under the planting 10-million trees by 2030 project initiated by T4G, the focus is on making it easier to plant trees using its current volunteer network nationwide. They currently have volunteers in Morobe, Simbu, Goroka, Central, Manus, Mt. Hagen, Buka, Milne Bay, East New Britain and Madang.  

It’s a nationwide project starting in Port Moresby. Invitations have been sent to government bodies and private sector players to be part of the project to address climate change and plant more trees.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is planning to plant a billion trees by 2028. Their aim is to see trees integrated into the landscape to complement and diversify their existing land uses, rather than see large-scale land conversion to forestry. They want to see innovative ideas, research and sector development that will improve the way New Zealanders plant and grow trees.

To plant the right tree, they want to encourage both permanent and plantation forests made up of exotic and native tree species. It encourages the planting of native species to improve biodiversity.

To plant at the right place, they wanted trees planted to be suitable for the site and their intended use, aligning tree planting with local land-use and planting priorities and strategies.

To plant for the right purpose, they wanted to make sure tree planting is well-planned and considers the long-term maintenance and end-use of the trees. Commercial viability for production forests and protection for permanent forests should be thought through before planting. They also want to make sure plantings take local social, environmental, cultural and economic priorities into account.

In order to meet the emissions reduction target to achieve the reduction of 2.5 million tons of carbon-dioxide over the next five years starting in 2019, Fiji is also investing to plant more trees.

Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Forests, Pene Baleinabuli at the REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) Environmental Stewardship Inter-Faith Based Organization Leaders Awareness Forum at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva said “The aim for Fiji is to plant 4 million trees in four years, to get the communities involved and actively engage with them and the Ministry of Forests wants to establish nurseries around the country where we will invite members of the community to look after them.”

The objective is to create awareness of Fiji's National REDD+ Program amongst the interfaith based organizational leaders.

For PNG, T4G is inviting the government and private sector players to join the efforts to plant 10-million trees by 2030. Plastic ban could be the last option for PNG, the negative impacts on plastic ban to business houses especially small PNG businesses replying on plastic bags to make their business easier would now face hard times effecting the country’s economy. Planting more trees is an easy way out to fight climate change such a country like PNG would take action. Not plastic ban at this time. 

The article was first published in;

The National Newspaper - https://www.thenational.com.pg/ten-million-trees-by-2030/

PNG Attitude Blog - https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/02/planting-trees-to-fight-climate-change.html

Related articles on planting more trees in PNG.

The National Newspaper - https://www.thenational.com.pg/ten-million-trees-by-2030/

Post Courier Newspaper - https://postcourier.com.pg/mori-starts-advocacy-for-tree-planting/