Papua New Guinea is moving towards establishing the Pacific region’s first Blue Carbon Policy, aimed at safeguarding the country’s vital blue carbon ecosystems. The National Blue Carbon Policy provides an enabling framework for the conservation and sustainable management of blue carbon ecosystems in the country.
A two-day National Blue Carbon Policy Roadmap Consultation Workshop, themed "The Pathway towards PNG’s Blue Carbon Policy," was held from 21 to 22 August at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby. The event was organised by the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) and the Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority (CEPA) with the support of international partners, including The Nature Conservancy and the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon (MACBLUE) project.
The workshop marked a significant step in PNG's efforts to incorporate its diverse blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes—into its National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and to establish a comprehensive policy framework for their conservation and restoration.
Acting Managing Director of CCDA, Debra Sungi, highlighted the urgency of this initiative, stating, “Article 5 of the Paris Agreement calls for the conservation of sinks in order to achieve the long-term temperature goals of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The country has a diverse area of blue carbon ecosystems, and so the government is hoping to incorporate this into the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories as well as establishing a roadmap for a Blue Carbon Policy.”
Sungi also pointed out that the workshop was a continuation of efforts that began last year with the first-ever consultation workshop on the Blue Carbon Policy. She explained, “We are bringing in all different stakeholders to ensure that we understand the different activities happening around the different sectors, which will guide us to ensure that we develop this policy.”
She further stressed the importance of a national framework that aligns various activities related to livelihoods, conservation, and ecotourism, which are currently operating without coordinated governance.
The workshop’s outcomes are expected to culminate in a finalised policy framework by March next year. As Sungi explained, “For the purpose of the inventory, we should have some work around the inventory by October or November of this year, and that will feed into what we're working on through our biannual transparency report, which we aim to submit to UNFCCC by December.”
The workshop served as a platform to address the existing gaps and challenges in developing a robust Blue Carbon Policy. “Protecting and conserving blue carbon ecosystems, as well as restoring degraded sites, is outlined clearly in the national marine program and is not only an environmental imperative but also an economic necessity,” stated Jude Tukuliya, Managing Director of CEPA.
The Executive Manager of Marine Environment Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, Ms Yvonne Tio, emphasised that the development of the Blue Carbon Policy Roadmap would be a first in the Pacific, showcasing PNG’s commitment to environmental stewardship. “Blue carbon ecosystems are among the most efficient natural systems for sequestering carbon, making them essential allies in our fight against global warming. To ensure the long-term protection of our blue carbon ecosystems, we must develop and implement a comprehensive Blue Carbon Policy.”
She elaborated on the broader environmental context, noting the historical significance of marine conservation efforts in PNG. A notable historic challenge was faced during the Nautilus deep-sea mining project and the subsequent launch of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Fisheries and Food Security in 2009. These initiatives laid the groundwork for the current focus on blue carbon ecosystems.
Key stakeholders from various sectors, including government bodies, provincial administrations, academia, non-governmental organisations, and community-based organisations, participated in the workshop. The event featured presentations on critical aspects such as inventory, data collection and mapping, reporting requirements, legal and institutional arrangements, financing, and international commitments.
The MACBLUE project, jointly implemented by the Pacific Community, the Secretariat of the Regional Environment Programme, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ Pacific), plays a pivotal role in supporting PNG's blue carbon ambitions. Raphael Linzatti, MACBLUE Project Director, expressed Germany’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “If we want to win the fight against the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis, we have to conserve what's here, what's still there, what's still intact, and use it in a sustainable way.”
For The Nature Conservancy, their involvement in this project is a natural extension of its long-term work with local communities in PNG. Ruth Konia, Country Director, remarked on the importance of the workshop, saying, “We have realised that there is a gap in terms of the policy in managing the blue carbon space... So the aim of our work is to support communities where they can benefit as well as look at ways to protect their resources.”
PNG’s blue carbon policy sets ambitious targets for carbon mitigation and ensuring that local communities benefit from the conservation of their vital coastal ecosystems. The workshop is supported by The Nature Conservancy and the MACBLUE project, which is jointly implemented by the Pacific Community, the Secretariat of the Regional Environment Programme, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ Pacific).
