April 13, 2009

Safe Outside

Villagers in Papua New Guinea set aside land to protect the Matschie's tree kangaroo

By Suzanne Zimbler

If you want to see a Matschie's tree kangaroo in its natural habitat, you will have to travel across the world to Papua New Guinea, a small country located just north of Australia. The rainforest of the Huon Peninsula in the northeastern part of the country is the only place where this rare creature can be found.

COURTESY TREE KANGAROO CONSERVATION PROGRAM Papua New Guinea’s first conservation area is a large as the country of Singapore.

Once there, it used to be easy to spot the fuzzy-faced kangaroo munching on leaves high up in the trees. But now, villagers say it sometimes takes two days to find one. Over-hunting and habitat loss are to blame for the animal's decline.

But rather than let the Matschie's tree kangaroo continue on a path to extinction, locals are taking steps to protect this endangered species. More than 35 clans, or extended families, have pledged to set aside some of their land for conservation purposes. In total, the protected forest is 187,800 acres, an area as large as the country of Singapore. No hunting or habitat destruction is allowed there. For tree kangaroos and other wildlife, it is a safe zone.

Healthy Village, Healthy Forest

Lisa Dabek, a biologist at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, helped coordinate the effort to establish the conservation area, which is Papua New Guinea's first. When she started talking with the clan leaders 12 years ago, she realized that the people had their own challenges to address before they could think about helping tree kangaroos. "How can you ask people to protect their forest when they're trying to look after their own children and their own health?" says Dabek.

TOBY ROSS Scientists think that many undiscovered plant and animals species live in the protected forest.

Dabek learned that many schools in the rural region had been shut down because there were not enough teachers. With help from the Woodland Park Zoo and Conservation International, she set up a scholarship program for young people from the community to attend teaching school. Each teacher who receives the scholarship must come back to work in his or her village for at least six years.

Dabek and her team also worked to educate community members about conservation. At first, the people were surprised to learn that Matschie's tree kangaroos did not live in other parts of the world. "When they realized that this region is the only place where the tree kangaroos live, they said, 'We need to look after this animal for the world,'" Dabek told TFK. One by one, each clan agreed to set aside some land in order to protect the species.

Following Their Lead

On April 22, which is Earth Day, members of all 35 clans will come together in one village to celebrate the new conservation area. Papua New Guinea's minister for the environment will join them. It will be his first visit to the remote part of the country. He will have to take a helicopter to get there.

Festivities will include a sing-sing-traditional singing and dancing to the rhythm of drums-as well as theatrical performances by the children and speeches by the adults. The people have much to celebrate, says Dabek. "They've shown what a community can do and how they can be a model for the whole country and then for the world."

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