Boasting more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity on 1% of land area, Papua New Guinea receives payment to continue its work of conserving its forests and reducing CO2 emissions.
By Kielce Gussie
PAPUA NEW GUINEA — At the beginning of July, Papua New Guinea (PNG) became the first small island developing State in the world, and only the second country in Asia and the Pacific after Indonesia, to receive a results-based payment for the country’s work in halting deforestation and conserving forests.
This payment is part of the initiative REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus), which is focused on encouraging and rewarding developing countries for their effort in this area.
In an interview with Vatican News, Serena Fortuna, Senior Forestry Officer at the FAO, explained Papua New Guinea’s work, its importance, and how the country’s mission to protect the planet ties into Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’.
Small but (bio)diverse
Papua New Guinea is a nation consisting of the mainland and around 600 offshore islands. Despite being roughly the size of California, the country boasts one of the highest rates of forest cover in the world – 78%.
As Fortuna described, the island nation is a hotspot for ecological variety, housing “over 5% of the planet’s biodiversity, but on less than 1% of the Earth’s total land area”, as well as “more than 13,000 documented plant species.”
Since it’s home to an important treasure trove of biodiversity and untouched green spaces, Papua New Guinea, in recent decades, has become a leading voice on forests and the fight against climate change. Together with Costa Rica, PNG first proposed the concept of a global initiative that rewards developing countries for efforts to stop deforestation.
Preservation for the future
REDD+ was created as a result of this proposal. The initiative is a chance to increase discussion across different sectors and encourage participation from different groups of people—local communities, indigenous peoples, governments—to reach their national climate and forest goals.
Fortuna explained that through the Green Climate Fund, which is an “international fund launched by the United Nations to support countries having the appropriate finance to progress in this domain”, Papua New Guinea demonstrated their efforts to preserve their forests for centuries. This earned them the REDD+ payments earlier this month.
Real results
PNG was able to reduce 17 million tons of CO2 equivalent. To put it in concrete terms, Fortuna reported that this figure equals out to driving a gasoline-fed car 85 billion miles.
This reduction was only possible through a nationwide effort. “This achievement really belongs to all people and the choices they made in what they buy, in the direction they give to the government, and in the economy of the country,” Fortuna stressed. When the people and government realized an agriculture business lease was acting contrary to their goal of protecting environment, they shut it down.
Looking ahead, in a world marked by numerous challenges and crises regarding bioeconomy, biodiversity, and climate, Fortuna described the work of Papua New Guinea as a success story, which will and has already inspired other countries. “I think Papua New Guinea sends a very critical message and also demonstrates that multiple objectives, such as commodity production, food security, and forest conservation in a country can coexist”, she argued.
Laudato si’ in action
Fortuna highlighted that the work PNG is doing to combat climate change “aligns very well with what Pope Francis was calling for in the cyclical on climate change and environment.” She stressed that Laudato si’ was a moral voice encouraging people to act in favor of conserving natural resources and protecting for the earth in whatever way they can—from eliminating millions of tons of CO2 to reducing our own individual carbon footprint.
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