Latest Adventures - May 2010

Jim’s bit
Our stay in Australia was much longer than usual due to the dramas that unfolded last November (see last update – January 2010). It was a good break for us and we spent a lot of time with family.

We did quite a lot of TCA work as well, such as presentations to Zoos Victoria and Australian Volunteers International. I was able to commit some time into analysing the Distance Sampling data from the past few years. The results indicate an increase in the Tenkile population from ~147 in 2004 to ~307 in 2008. Through discussions and encouragement from Zoos Victoria; Wildlife, Conservation and Science Department I’ll be working on writing a scientific paper with them this year.

Jean’s bit
Well this update brings lots of big news and announcements. The first being I was one of three people chosen for the Future for Nature Award. This is an award given out to encourage conservationists to keep doing what they do. So it was perfect timing for us considering our last update.

The Award ceremony was held in Arnhem at Burger’s Zoo (the Netherlands). Both Jim and I decided to extend our stay in Australia so we could attend the event and leave Tadji with his grandma.

Jim’s bit
Before going to the Netherlands, an opportunity presented itself to meet some new contacts in Hong Kong. We managed to meet various people and presented our work at the Hong Kong Club and to staff at the Ocean Park. It was a busy 24 hours in Hong Kong but I felt it was very productive.

Networking is becoming a very important component of our work and we are getting a lot of practice at conducting power point presentations.

Jean’s bit
After a quick tour of Paris we travelled into Arnhem to meet the other award winners Alberto Campos from Brazil and Els van Lavieren from The Netherlands. The ceremony was hosted by the lovely wildlife presenter Ms Saba Douglas-Hamilton.

I gave a presentation of our work to around 300 people at Burgers Zoo before being presented with the Future For Nature Award and 50,000 Euros by Ms Angela Cropper from the United Nations Environment Protection. I was so nervous, and became very emotional during my talk but managed to pull through to the end. The zoo had the Victoria’s crowned pigeon on display so I had to make mention of the fact that this species was locally extinct when we first arrived and now we have reports from 16 of the 39 villages that it is back on their land. If that doesn’t give hope for the future for nature than I don’t know what will!

Jim’s bit
Jean’s presentation had a shaky start but she pulled it off remarkably well. The after party was great as we were able to meet other conservationists and share stories. I was comforted to here that other people have experienced similar situations to myself. This gave me confidence and I guess was sobering to again realise that getting in the way of so called development often results in aggressive behaviour exhibited by greedy business people wanting to make as much money as quickly as they can without thinking or caring about the well being of others.

Jean’s bit
Back in Australia we packed up our things, said our good-byes and made our way back to PNG without any problems. We stayed in Port Moresby for a week doing the usual networking and updating before heading into Wewak.

Jim’s bit
I felt happy to be finally back in Papua New Guinea –even in Port Moresby, which I had just read had been voted the fourth most dangerous city in the world.

In Moresby we firmed up our relationship with WWF and the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). Both confirmed they would be visiting us in Lumi within the not too distant future. Both WWF and DEC recognise TCA as the strongest conservation program in PNG. Getting this sort of feedback is essential towards further contributing to rainforest protection.

The rate of deforestation in PNG is astonishing and this largely ignored by the outside world despite agreements and coalitions being established for rainforest protection within PNG. In our area there are three planned oil palm projects, one of which is active, and five Forest Management Areas (FMAs) destined to be logged. One such FMA has already had most of its’ hardwood species taken.

We aim, through our education and awareness programs, to ideally give our stakeholders, and also villages from within other FMAs, a better option than oil palm and logging. If it possible to conduct Carbon Trading or some other form of forest protection and restoration then we’ll follow that road.

Jean’s bit
In Wewak I was by myself for the first time and stayed at the Wewak Boutique Hotel courtesy of our friend Phillip. Ever since we arrived in PNG in 2003, I have always been in Wewak with Jim, never by myself so this was going to be a new experience for me. I was quite excited about it actually and I found that I was very productive. I did not have to be a mother and I had to think ahead of the game and prepare myself to avoid certain situations. At the end of the day I would get back to the hotel grinning from ear to ear. When I stopped to wonder why I realised it was a combination of relief that I was able to go through Wewak town without any dramas and that gave me a feeling of power and freedom as a woman. So I would get home and high five myself going - “Yes I did it! I survived!”

So the reason for me being in Wewak by myself is that I had to attend a day workshop with the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project staff from Moresby to go over the European Union rules regarding accounting and administration. It is all very precise and pedantic but a necessary evil I’m afraid.

Jim’s bit
I was somewhat nervous about Jean being by herself in Wewak but once I knew she was staying at the hotel, where there is sound security, I felt better. We also had people from Yongite (a Tenkile village) in Wewak who walked around with Jean.

It was a classic case of a role reversal. I flew to Lumi with Tadji and there I became “Daddy with a skirt” for a week. It was a good experience and we both gained greater respect for each other’s roles.

I had heard from our Project Supervisor, Patrick, that our female Weimang (Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo) had a pouch young. When back in Lumi I quickly checked the pouch. Hey he wasn’t lying. This was a world first, not only did we have the only captive Weimangs but now they had bred. We made the front page of the Post Courier newspaper.

It was great to be back in Lumi and to be back home really. All of our officers were there to greet Tadji and myself. TCA Base-Lumi was in very good condition, the lawn was nice and short and there weren’t many things that needed fixing.

Our bedroom was filthy after four and half months and I asked Lucy to clean it out. A few minutes later I heard her scream “snake”. There was a small, ~2ft, D’Albert’s Python in the bedroom. What a surprise, this is the first time I’ve had a python in this bedroom!

That evening I had major discussions with our staff. I think everyone was rather relieved that I had come back as there was doubt in many minds as to whether we would return.

Jean’s bit
I arrived back in Lumi on Friday the 23rd of April which meant I had been out of Lumi for almost 7 months. So it was great to be “home”. Jim had got the bedroom and bathroom tiled which was lovely so I spent the first couple of days rearranging things and getting organised.

Jim’s bit
We had recently learnt that our Senior Project Officer, Mathew Akon, had been short listed as a candidate for the Whitley Fund for Nature Award. Mathew was to travel to London to be interviewed and possibly win the award. Mathew was very nervous as he has only been out of PNG once and that was to the Philippines. This trip was going to be a real eye opener fro him.

We had our first TCA rep meeting on April 28th. Then the WWF staff arrived on the 29th and we had meetings with the Incorporated Land Group (ILG) presidents from the South West Wape FMA.

These meetings all went well and we discussed the possibilities of Carbon Trading. If this project gets off the ground TCA will be protecting over 300,000 hectares of rainforest. A huge task but well worth it in the long run. I guess we have completed the first step of many. Hopefully the PNG government will formulate a policy on Carbon Trading this year.

Jean’s bit
The meetings went really well but by Tuesday my energy levels dropped like a tonne of bricks and I knew I must be getting Malaria. I was out for the count for a couple of days and am still recovering as I write this. I hate malaria.

Jim’s bit
Lumi is pretty gloomy at the moment. There is a lot of cloud and rain. The other day we recorded 460mm. I’m pretty sure that is the most rain we have received in one day.

Finally, as of the 13th of May, we have just found out the Mathew Akon won the prestigious Whitley Award in London. This will be a huge boost to the program. Congratulations to Mathew.

Special thanks to J. Robert Gibson, Tim Flannery, Future for Nature (FFN), World Wide Fund (WWF) and the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).

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Latest Adventures - May 2010