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Mapping and Monitoring the Torricelli Mountain Range Conservation Area (TMRCA)

Terrestrial Protected Area Key Biodiversity Area

Management effectiveness

Local Communities Indigenous people

Monitoring/Patrol equipment

EUR 99,711 ; Pacific 1 November 2020 - 31 October 2021

Protected and conserved area(s) concerned

The TMRCA is currently not a legally protected area but a proposed PA

The BIOPAMA AC Objectives addressed

Enhance the management and governance of priority protected areas by addressing existing limitations.
Enforce the legal framework required to achieve effective biodiversity conservation in Protected Areas.

Priority need addressed

Priority for action identified is the Protected Area has inadequate materials based on the METT analysis. The report recommended the following on page 153:

Clarify boundaries and communicate them to all parties.
Provide large-scale printed maps to landowners and governments.
Build capacity for field management – maintenance of equipment and basic research.

Project activities

The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) has 16 Project Officers, 16 Research Officers and 100 Rangers on staff. This grant will enable all of those staff with the necessary equipment and training they need to map the Torricelli Mountain Range Conservation Area (TMRCA) using Global Information System (GIS) technology.

Technical equipment such as phones and computers will be purchased. The engagement of all landowners to identify the special management areas (no-go zones) and areas for sustainable land use will lead to the inclusion of women, an increase of local leadership and improve community awareness of the benefits of the TMRCA.

Three TCA staff will participate in GIS mapping training with the University of Papua New Guinea to lead in the production of printed maps for villages and Government Agencies to use in the management of forests.

TCA Staff will also participate in training to use various phone applications such as Lukim Gather, SMART and Cybertracker to enhance the level of engagement, monitoring effectiveness and increased knowledge of biological assets and indigenous knowledge of the TMRCA. All of these activities will help TCA increase capacity in using technology and enable TCA to deliver tangible results in terms of mapping the TMRCA.

The change the project implementation will bring for the protected area(s)

We expect that this grant will help the Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) to achieve its capacity building goals which is to improve local staff capabilities in using technology – smart phones, computers, GPS and GIS mapping. These skills will improve the land use plans we have already created with more detailed maps produced. These maps and relevant local knowledge included in those maps and land use plans will directly inform local level, Provincial and National Governments of land boundaries and assets within the Torricelli Mountain Range Conservation Area (TMRCA). This will improve Forest Governance and protection from exploitation and illegal activity.

Download the project infofiche.