Building Capacity for Sustainable and Responsible Development in the Bismarck Sea is a collaboration between Papua New Guinea’s Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority and the Australian Government which will help people in New Britain plan for the best possible future development in their region. The Bismarck Sea is the jewel in Papua New Guinea’s crown, with abundant natural resources including fish, reefs and mineral deposits. There are many opportunities for mining, agriculture, fisheries and tourism. However, to plan effectively decision-makers must first consider intended and potential unintended consequences of development on communities and the environment. To build a sustainable economy through responsible development, the project is working with government, industry and communities to design decision-making tools and processes that can assess the social and environmental benefits and costs of future decisions across land and sea. Who is involved in the project? In the Australian Government is funding The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to assist with the coordination of decision- making in the provinces of East and West New Britain 1, which border the eastern part of the Bismarck Sea. Working with government and other stakeholders, the project’s goal is to improve capacity for strategic decision-making for sustainable and responsible economic development in New Britain and the eastern Bismarck Sea. What will the project be doing? DECISION-MAKING TOOLS TNC and CSIRO will develop tools with stakeholders to provide information that can inform strategic decision- making, including: Database and maps of environmental features and their values for different stakeholders in the Bismarck Sea, East and West New Britain. ‘Ridge to Reef’ plans identifying areas of primary importance on land and sea. Tools to assess the impact of future development, climate change and population pressure on environmental features. INTEGRATED PL ANNING PROCESSES By reviewing historical decisions in New Britain and the Bismarck Sea (e.g. mining, oil palm expansion, Locally Managed Marine Areas, fishery closures, logging), the project will identify key stakeholders that should be linked to improve future decision-making processes. By running pilot planning workshops, likely future development decisions will be explored, and stakeholders will apply the decision-making tools to anticipate potential costs and benefits It is intended that a more integrated management process will be fostered which enhances linkages and coordination amongst statutory bodies and relevant stakeholders such as communities and industries. Building Capacity for Sustainable & Responsible Development in the Bismarck Sea CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY

Project outcomes At the end of the project, the following outcomes are anticipated: Decision-makers and other stakeholders have enhanced skills and training in decision-making tools and processes. Communities are engaged in strategic development decisions for their provinces. Stakeholders are aware of the potential costs and benefits of development. Decision-making is more coordinated in the eastern Bismarck Sea Recommendations from the project workshops are incorporated into the East and West New Britain 5-year Development Plans. Other maritime provinces around the Bismarck Sea (i.e. New Ireland, Manus, Madang, Morobe) are beginning similar processes. The Coral Triangle Initiative and Seascapes The project contributes to Papua New Guinea’s National Plan of Action 2 for the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) 3. Launched in 2009, the CTI’s goal is to achieve conservation of marine biodiversity and food security through sustainable resource management. One of the five CTI goals is to establish integrated management of large ‘seascapes’, such as the Bismarck Sea. Seascapes are complicated to manage because they cross multiple jurisdictions (e.g. local, provincial and national governments). Also, human activities on land have a downstream effect on the receiving coastal and marine waters. Consequently, careful integration is required between stakeholders, and they must consider ‘Ridge to Reef’ effects when making development decisions within seascapes. If not, development may have unintended consequences and impacts which can threaten the long term well-being of communities and ecosystems. 1 The United Nations Development Program is also funding the West New Britain component of TNC’s work. 2 PNG’s National Plan of Action shows how PNG is intending to address issues of national importance with relevance to the CTI, the linkages to PNG policy, such as the National Strategic Plan ( ), and the governance arrangements for CTI activities within the PNG Government. The plan is available at p:/ coraltriangleinitiative.org/library/national-plan-action-papua-new-guinea 3 The CTI is an agreement among six countries (PNG, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia). Under the CTI, PNG’s National Plan of Action indicates that the Bismarck Sea is a priority for testing seascape management. For further information: PNG Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority Kay Kalim e: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere James Butler e: t: The Nature Conservancy Barbara Masike e: t: Fishery resources are important for communities in New Britain Future development must be coordinated to avoid unintended consequences (image: Dieter Tracey)