Raising the Effectiveness of Conservation Programs: A Case Study of TKCP Environmental and Developmental Activities in the YUS Area, PNG
Abstract
The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) is a conservation program run by the Woodland Park Zoo. It began in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2009, but conservation efforts in this area can be tracked back to 1996, when Dr.
Lisa Dabek began her conservation research study. TKCP is mainly focused on the protection of the endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo.
Since 97% of the land is owned by indigenous landowners in PNG, it also cooperates with the local communities. Part of the program's efforts are therefore aimed at the improvement of the local standard of living in the YUS conservation area (YUS CA).
Based on a review of TKCP annual reports and on data conducted during the field research in Yawan and Kotet villages in PNG via participatory observation and interviews with the locals, this article's aim is to describe some of the TKCP's developmental efforts in the YUS CA. Since there has been an ongoing debate addressing the issue of effectiveness of conservation programs in PNG and elsewhere in the world, it also discusses some of the main criticism of environmental efforts in relation to local communities.