Welcome to our 2023 Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program Annual Report. The program is now 28 years old and 2023 marks ten years since the establishment of our local nongovernmental organization, the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program – PNG. I am honored and humbled by the progress we have made in support of community-led conservation in Yopno-Uruwa-Som and beyond. I am also thrilled by this opportunity to once again share our team’s efforts and accomplishments with our partners and supporters after several years of COVID-19 hiatus from publishing annual program reports.
Despite the many challenges navigated throughout COVID-19, our team and program have grown considerably during the past few years. We are immensely appreciative of the trust, commitment, and generosity of our donors in weathering the storm with us and helping to maintain TKCP’s financial stability through uncertain times. And I applaud Ms. Modi Pontio – TKCP’s first Papua New Guinean Associate Director – for her unwavering leadership in building up a strong team and impactful programming over these past few years since joining us in early 2020.
Having developed a five-year strategic program plan in 2020 with (virtual) guidance from Arlyne Johnston and Foundations of Success, we have expanded our Lae-based team of technical specialists and strengthened our field presence throughout YUS for increased community engagement, monitoring, and facilitation of local conservation efforts. At Woodland Park Zoo we also welcomed a third TKCP team member with Dr. Samuel Merson joining in 2023 as Conservation Monitoring Strategist, supporting our team in its efforts to enhance the YUS Conservation Area’s systems, processes, and tools enabling adaptive protected area management.
I was delighted to travel back to PNG in 2023 after a long 3 ½ year absence and thrilled to resume our tree kangaroo field research with six GPS collars deployed and new video camera traps set up to collect data into 2024. TKCP’s One Health team of volunteer physicians and health professionals also visited YUS in 2023 to provide much-needed training and support for local health workers and community members.
I am proud to have established, together with Woodland Park Zoo’s Beth Carlyle-Askew, an AZA ‘Saving Animals From Extinction’ (SAFE) program for tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea in 2020. This international program brings together expertise and support throughout the zoo community to coordinate global efforts in protecting tree kangaroos. And looking ahead, we are excited to contribute toward the development and launch of Woodland Park Zoo’s newest exhibit which will feature Matschie’s tree kangaroos and highlight the monumental efforts of communities throughout YUS and PNG in safeguarding their future.
Many thanks to the YUS community members, PNG Government officials, Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program team, Board of Directors, partners, donors, and friends. We look forward to the year ahead as we continue our conservation efforts on the Huon Peninsula for the benefit of wildlife, people, and the environment.
Sincerely,
Lisa Dabek Senior Director, Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program
TREE KANGAROO CONSERVATION PROGRAM
“The YUS Conservation Area is a leading example for conservation in Papua New Guinea and a model for other conservation initiatives. From growing up in my village and witnessing the establishment of the conservation area, and all the struggles and victories related to it, I have realized direct involvement of the communities will lead to the success of any conservation effort. It is key to protecting any species and its habitat, including the Matschie’s tree kangaroo.”
– Danny Nane, TKCP Community Consesrvation Coordinator and YUS Landowner
ABOUT US
Vision
The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program envisions a sustainable, healthy, and resilient Huon Peninsula landscape which supports the area’s unique biodiversity, human communities, and culture.
TKCP’s Program Strategies:
Mission
Our mission is to foster wildlife and habitat conservation and support local community livelihoods in Papua New Guinea through global partnerships, habitat protection, and scientific research.
Together with communities and customary landowners, TKCP employs five strategies to guide the efforts of the program and our partners to ensure the sustainable health and prosperity for the living YUS landscape including its biodiversity, people, and culture:
YUS Conservation Area Management
Effectiveness: Together with partners, TKCP strengthens the management effectiveness of the YUS Conservation Area in protecting its core Natural, Cultural, and Social/Economic Values for the benefit of wildlife, people, and the environment.
Applied Research and Monitoring: TKCP leads and facilitates research to expand scientific and traditional knowledge and understanding of the wildlife (particularly Matschie’s tree kangaroo), culture, and ecosystems throughout YUS and the Huon Peninsula to guide conservation action and contribute to the global body of knowledge in support of effective conservation in Papua New Guinea.
Conservation Policy and Partnerships: TKCP leverages its experience, expertise and partnerships to promote the development of best practices and the replication of community-based conservation initiatives throughout Papua New Guinea.
Community Resilience and Well-Being: TKCP empowers local leadership and facilitates participation in sustainable resource management and community development according to local priorities and needs including livelihoods, health and education.
Local Capacity & Organizational
Sustainability: TKCP fosters and develops local leadership, management, technical capacity, and resources in Papua New Guinea to sustain effective management of the YUS Conservation Area and influence the practice of community-based conservation throughout the country.
STRATEGY 1: YUS CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT
Conservation Area
Monitoring: Over the course of 2023, the YUS Conservation Area Rangers undertook a total of 84 patrols covering over 600 kilometers. During these monthly patrols, rangers monitored direct and indirect signs of presence of important mammal and bird species and violations of conservation area by-laws. In total, they observed over thirty target species from Huon astrapia (71 observations) to mountain cuscus (243 observations) and the Matschie’s tree kangaroo (24 observations). To maintain effective ranger patrols, troubleshoot problems and plan ongoing patrols, Dillian Nason (Research and Monitoring Coordinator) conducted ranger debrief sessions in Uruwa and Nambis Zones. TKCP field staff also travelled to Lae for their annual mid-year refresher training. To guide future conservation area monitoring, TKCP’s new Conservation Monitoring Strategist, Dr Samuel Merson, worked with the TKCP-PNG team to develop the YUS Conservation Area Monitoring and Evaluation Framework that will provide a systematic approach to monitoring biological, cultural and sociological values in the landscape to support effective conservation area management.
Community Land Use
Monitoring: In response to community requests and to complement existing rangerbased monitoring of conservation priorities in the core conservation and buffer zones, the TKCP team worked with Antony Lynam (Conservation Technology Solutions Technician, formerly of Wildlife Conservation Society, now EarthRanger) to integrate a recently designed community land use monitoring methodology into the YUS Conservation Area’s Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) program. In November, Danny Nane (Community Conservation Coordinator) trained six newly recruited land use monitors representing the
to
from top: New Guinea impatiens flowers. TKCP TKCP provided training for the YUS Conservation Area Ranger team in data collection and patrol management, including the use of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) equipped android phones. TKCP
Local PNG mushrooms. TKCP
One of TKCP’s YUS Rangers presents plans for patrols and community awareness activities for his villages in 2023. TKCP
Page 7:
With support from Connected Conservation Foundation, TKCP is utilizing high-resolution imagery from Airbus Earth Observation satellites to monitor and inform land and resource management across the YUS Conservation Area . Airbus
Page 6, left
right
six zones in the YUS Landscape on how to conduct monitoring with communities on their natural resource use throughout livelihood and buffer zones. Monitoring will begin in 2024 and will support the review of various land uses stipulated in the ward land use plans, and the development of more evidencebased land use plans in the future.
YUS Conservation Area Management: The YUS Conservation Area Management Committee met in Port Moresby in June to discuss, review and decide upon a range of conservation area management actions. To support the effective enforcement of YUS Conservation Area by-laws, TKCP facilitated a series of three Community Legal Education trainings for a total of 154 participants across the landscape to improve legal
knowledge, understanding of roles and responsibilities, community land use rights, and how to legally enforce relevant environment laws and Acts of Parliament. This training was the first of its kind in YUS and involved legal specialists training members of the village court system including magistrates, clerks, peace officers and ward councilors. TKCP’s field staff responsible for monitoring and reporting violations also participated in the training. 1.3
Through TKCP’s participatory land use planning process, communities define their plans for land and resource use according to local needs and priorities . Danny Nane, TKCP
Left to right from top:
TKCP’s Modi Pontio, Danny Nane, and Dillian Nason discuss program strategy in response to conservation threats and pressures. TKCP
TKCP’s Research & Monitoring Coordinator Dillian Nason. TKCP
Tree in the YUS Conservation Area. TKCP
TKCP’s research team by the fire at Wasaunon research camp. TKCP
STRATEGY 2: APPLIED RESEARCH AND MONITORING
Tree Kangaroo Ecology Research: TKCP’s field research efforts resumed in 2023 after a hiatus due to Covid travel limitations. In October, TKCP’s Director, Dr. Lisa Dabek led a research team to its Wasaunon research camp comprised of TKCP researchers and technical staff, three visiting veterinarians (Woodland Park Zoo’s Dr. Tim Storms, Miami Zoo’s Dr. Marisa Bezjian, and field veterinarian Dr. Carol Esson), local community trackers, Wildlife Conservation Society – PNG’s (WCS-PNG) Terrestrial Conservation Officer Markis Pesco, and Yale University graduate student Arata Honda. The team fitted six tree kangaroos with GPSand altimeter-equipped tracking collars which will gather data on their activity, location, and movement over a six-month period prior to removal in 2024. During TKCP’s October field research, veterinarians Dr. Tim Storms, Dr. Marisa Bezjian, Dr. Carol Esson, and radiologist Dr. Rob Liddell collected blood, fecal, and gastric samples as well as X-ray and ultrasound images of the collared tree kangaroos for health assessments and further
One Health research. Remote video camera traps were also deployed at six trees within the collared tree kangaroos’ home
ranges, and drone-mounted LiDAR sensors were used (through collaboration with Simon Ozanne of Australianbased Alacon Aero) to create a digital 3D map of the area’s vegetation and forest canopy. This non-invasive approach, in tandem with GPS collars, aims to capture and link behaviors and movement patterns accurately. This will provide novel insight into tree kangaroos behavioral ecology, habitat use and spatial movement, and is critical to informing conservation area management and land use planning in the YUS Conservation Area and throughout the species range on the Huon Peninsula.
Page 10, top to bottom: Tree fern. TKCP
The 2023 Wasaunom Field Research Team that was involved in GPS collaring of tree kangaroos and camera trap setup. TKCP
Dr Tim Storm, Dr Marisa Bezjian and Dr Robert Liddell use a portable x-ray machine to scan a tree kangaroo. TKCP
TKCP’s research and monitoring teams facilitate a workshop with colleagues from Wildlife Conservation Society PNG to share research methods and lessons learned, and prepare for collaborative research and monitoring projects. April 2023
Page 11:
Dr Tim Storms and Dillian Nason listen into a tree kangaroo’s heart rate (credit TKCP)
Wildlife
Research Collaboration: TKCP continued to partner with WCSPNG to facilitate learning exchanges and develop a comparative study between the Matschie’s and Goodfellow tree kangaroos. Following a visit by WCS-PNG staff to YUS in 2022, ten TKCP staff visited a WCS site in Jiwaka Province in June to exchange lessons and experiences in community-based natural resource management. The learning exchanges aim to improve and establish best practices for wildlife monitoring and participatory land use planning appropriate to the PNG context. The TKCP team particularly benefitted from learning about WCS’ approaches incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into forest assessments. Building on TKCP’s use of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) to support adaptive patrol management in YUS, WCS-PNG has recently adopted SMART for use among Wasman (Watchmen/ Rangers) in their field sites.
Monitoring and Camera Trapping: As part of its wider efforts to expand monitoring for adaptive management of the YUS Conservation Area, TKCP launched a pilot project in 2023 to better understand how and what drives wildlife to occupy livelihood/garden areas throughout YUS. TKCP deployed 16 camera traps among two coffee gardens in Uruwa and Som zones and provided training for two locally recruited coffee garden monitors to maintain and retrieve data from the camera traps. Data will be reviewed and analyzed in 2024 to guide redeployment of the camera traps in different coffee gardens. The project will provide complementary information in support of wider ecological and land use monitoring across the landscape that can provide insight into wildlife-friendly coffee garden practices.
Page 12, top to bottom:
Local TKCP field team members release a GPS collared tree kangaroo. TKCP
Simon Ozanne guides a drone during takeoff from a custom drone pad built at the Wasaunon research camp. Danny Nane, TKCP
Dillian Nason, TKCP Research & Monitoring Coordinator training TKCP field staff in camera trap operation. Dillian Nason, TKCP
Page 13, left to right from top:
TKCP field team prepare to track GPS collared TKs by VHF radio telemetry. Dillian Nason, TKCP
A GPS collared tree kangaroo prepares to climb a tree post-release. Dillian Nason, TKCP
Dr Lisa Dabek and Dr. Carol Esson analyze a tree kangaroo’s blood chemistry using an i-STAT machine. Lisa Dabek, TKCP
Coffee garden monitors, rangers and other community members setting up a camera trap station in a coffee garden.
Dillian Nason, TKCP
“The work that we do to support the YUS Conservation Area demonstrates how a protected area can work in Papua New Guinea, and it can serve as a very good example for aspiring protected areas.”
– Modi Pontio
STRATEGY 3: CONSERVATION
POLICY AND PARTNERSHIPS
Saruwaget Range Protected Area Feasibility: In response to community requests for support in protecting additional customaryowned land throughout the Huon Peninsula, TKCP undertook a consultative feasibility process to determine the interest, opportunity, and process for establishment of a Provincial Protected Area Network targeting the five Districts comprising the Huon Peninsula within Morobe Province. A series of stakeholder consultations and Ridge-to-Reef planning session resulted in unanimous Districtlevel support for the pursuit of protected area designation encompassing the entire Saruwaget Range on the Huon Peninsula. Provincial Divisional heads and District Administrations are highly supportive and motivated to pursue its designation via the development of an administrative framework and through concerted community outreach. The initiative will be further developed throughout 2024 in collaboration with Provincial and District Administrations. The total landscape spanning the five target districts encompasses more than 15,500 square kilometers (nearly 4 million acres) comprising nearly the entire range of the endemic Matschie’s tree kangaroo.
PNG Protected Areas Forum:
Several TKCP staff participated in PNG’s Protected Areas Forum in June 2023, organized by the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority and the United Nations Development Programme’s GEF-6 project.
Associate Director Modi Pontio joined a panel discussion on publicprivate partnerships supporting conservation and protected areas, and Community Conservation Coordinator Danny Nane provided a presentation on TKCP’s approach to participatory land-use planning and community-based natural resource management. The presentation was very well-received by the forum’s attendees, including representatives from UNDP’s GEF-7 project as well as PNG’s Department of Lands and Physical Planning. There is great interest and desire to expand, standardize, and integrate TKCP’s approach for application throughout Papua New Guinea, to facilitate bottom-up, participatory natural resource management and sustainable development.
Sharing Lessons and Best Practices:
Associate Director Modi Pontio was engaged by the United Nations Development Program in PNG to participate in the assessment and design of its Global Environment Facility GEF8 project, “Blue Green Islands Integrated Programme: Accelerating PNG’s Sustainable Blue Economy through Strengthened Governance and Investment in Marine Areas,” due to her extensive background in marine conservation as well as TKCP’s role in supporting the effective management of the YUS Conservation Area. The upcoming project will focus primarily on marine conservation in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, New Ireland, and Bootless Bay in National Capital District.
Page 14, left to right from top:
Mr. Robin Kiki, Morobe Provincial Deputy Administrator of Economic Services, provides opening remarks during the Ridge-to-Reef planning workshop with District Administrators and stakeholders representing areas throughout the Huon Peninsula. TKCP
Mr. Bards Botike, Nawaeb District Administrator, presents his District’s five-year development plan which prioritizes conservation and promotes investment into ecotourism. TKCP Map showing the target districts involved in pursuing protection throughout the Saruwaget Mountain Range on the Huon Peninsula. Patrick Vuet, TKCP
TKCP’s Dillian Nason and Danny Nane attended the PNG Protected Areas Forum to learn from conservation practitioners throughout the country, and share about TKCP’s experiences in the YUS Conservation Area. Modi Pontio, TKCP
STRATEGY 4: COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND WELL BEING
Community Leadership, Representation, and Inclusion:
With support through IUCN’s Biodiversity and Protected Area Management (BIOPAMA) Program funded by the European Union and the ACP Group of States, TKCP launched a major governance initiative to improve and enhance the YUS Conservation Area’s processes underpinning community participation - centered around its community-based land use planning approach and linking to its management committee structure for stakeholder engagement and decision-making. The initiative has already increased collaboration and integration of communities’ land use plans with ward- and local-level processes for development planning, in support of local priorities for natural resource management and sustainable development.
Financial Inclusion: Lack of access to basic financial services is one of the greatest barriers to economic participation throughout YUS. With support through USAID’s Lukautim Graun Program, TKCP is partnering with PNG’s MiBank to facilitate the reach of its Rural Banking Network into YUS. In 2023, YUS gained its first-ever Banking Agent (Sapmanga’s Siu Trading) providing community members with the opportunity to establish and access bank accounts for deposits and withdrawals locally. In its first six months, Siu Trading
opened more than 60 new MiBank accounts for customers throughout Uruwa, Som, and Nambis. TKCP and MiBank aim to establish additional agents within each zone throughout YUS to improve banking access for all villages over the next several years. TKCP is also providing a series of Financial Literacy Trainings throughout YUS to inform and educate community members on the newly available services, with 365 people trained during 2023, with an emphasis on gender equity. In 2024, TKCP will provide training-of-trainers to enable larger-scale rollout with training available to community members all throughout YUS.
YUS Coffee Cooperative members and other community members participated in a series of Financial Literacy Training workshops throughout YUS. Participant group photo in Som zone. Steven Fononge, TKCP Village in the YUS landscape. TKCP
Page 22:
Financial Literacy Training facilitator Esther Kongoni shares about personal budgeting and savings with participants in Nambis zone. TKCP
Page 21, left to right from top: Lapun meri. TKCP Coffee cherries. TKCP
Cooperative Development: Long-term sustainability of the YUS Conservation Coffee and Cocoa enterprises depend on farmers’ collective ownership and management in the production and sale of their products. TKCP provides targeted guidance and capacity-building assistance for the YUS Conservation Cooperative –with support from Zoos Victoria, TKCP now employs Sapmanga’s Teddy Hesing as Operations Coordinator on behalf of the YUS Cooperative and provides close, dedicated support for his execution of the Cooperative’s seasonal operations and business plans. Together with Teddy, Livelihoods Coordinator Sharon Erick held a series of Cooperative Reflection & Planning Workshops in 2023, with more than 175 participating farmers in organizing, coordinating, and preparing for the coffee season with consideration for market conditions and logistical constraints. The process also resulted in the Cooperative’s development, endorsement, and acceptance of a business partnership with TKCP and the World Bank-funded PNG Agriculture Commercialization & Diversification (PACD) project which will provide the Cooperative and its 500+ members with training, extension services, equipment and materials over the next two years to improve quality, yield, market access and business management capacity.
TKCP’s Trevor Holbrook, Sharon Erick, and Teddy Hesing with YUS Conservation Cooperative Directors and Inspectors during a planning workshop in April. TKCP
TKCP’s Livelihoods Coordinator Sharon Erick discussing coffee supply chain and cooperative operations with farmers in Som zone. Steven Fononge
TKCP’s Sharon Erick and Teddy Hesing facilitated zone-level planning workshops with YUS Cooperative members across YUS . TKCP
YUS Conservation
Coffee: TKCP assisted the YUS Conservation Coffee Cooperative in the sale of more than 400 bags (20,000kgs) of coffee produced throughout the 2023 season, including 242 bags (12,100kgs) processed and exported as specialty, single origin ‘YUS Conservation Coffee.’ Through partnership with Sucafina and in collaboration with both the Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, USA) and Zoos Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), YUS Conservation Coffee was exported to Seattle’s Caffe Vita and to Melbourne’s Genovese Coffee Company for promotion and retail sale as Conservation Commerce products. For the first time ever, Sucafina North America also purchased and imported more than 3,000kgs
of YUS Conservation Coffee to be offered as wholesale green (unroasted) single origin coffee to roasters throughout the United States and Canada. TKCP and the Woodland Park Zoo are thrilled to re-establish and build the supply of YUS coffee as a Conservation Commerce product for zoos and coffee roasters throughout North America! However, given the substantial challenges with air transport between YUS and the nearest coffee mills – particularly due to delays in freight subsidy assistance through the Coffee Industry Corporation and following the recent loss of North Coast Aviation’s primary airplane, TKCP recognizes the need for further services and support to ensure adequate market access for communities and coffee producers throughout the landscape.
TKCP’s Sharon Erick and Teddy Hesing drying coffee samples in the sun, to be shared with prospective roasters in the United States. September 2023.
YUS Conservation Coffee is loaded onto the plane for delivery to the mill. TKCP
TKCP supports the YUS Cooperative in providing coffee to Genovese Coffee Company in Melbourne, Australia for Zoos Victoria’s Coffee for Wildlife community conservation campaign. Genovese Coffee Company
YUS Conservation Cocoa:
Over the past several years, TKCP has supported YUS Conservation Cocoa farmers in overcoming production losses due to the invasive cocoa pod borer (CPB). Having facilitated the creation of CPBresistant budwood nurseries, TKCP is strengthening its partnership and collaboration with the PNG Cocoa Board and its agricultural extension program to provide further training and development in response to YUS cocoa producers’ primary challenges: pest management, quality control, and market access. Through this partnership, TKCP and the PNG Cocoa Board provided 94 farmers with cocoa production and marketing training in 2023 and conducted a needs assessment of the area’s cocoa fermentation facilities to inform further technical assistance.
Left to right from top:
One Health: In October, TKCP collaborated with its ‘One Health’ team of volunteer physicians (Dr. Rob Liddell, Dr. Marti Liddell, Dr. Nancy Philips, Dr. Emily Norland, and Barry Reiss PT) with local health and nutrition educators and the Morobe Provincial Health Authority to provide training for 35 Village Birth Attendants (midwives), seven Community Health Workers, and many other community members. The team also provided medical consultations for more than 300 community members to offer basic medical advice, treatment, and referrals. TKCP will continue to develop its partnership with Morobe Provincial Health Authority, in support of increased public healthcare services and regular medical patrols throughout YUS.
Cocoa farmers in Nambis Zone receive guidance from PNG Cocoa Board in rehabilitation and pest control practices. TKCP
Dr. Emily Norland and Esther Kongoni deliver information on birthing and maternal care. TKCP Esther Kongoni coordinated with partners for TKCP’s One Health workshop in YUS. TKCP
Left to right from top:
Visiting health care professionals, from left, Dr. Marti Liddell, Barry Reiss PT, Dr. Rob Liddell, Dr. Nancy Philips, and Dr. Emily Norland. TKCP
USAID Program Management Specialist
Julie Hulama and Dr Emily Norland during TKCP’s One Health Workshop. TKCP
Dr. Nancy Philips delivers a One Health education presentation to YUS community members. TKCP
Dr Robert Liddell uses a portable x-ray machine with a patient. TKCP
Dr Marisa Bezjian and Dr Robert Liddell collect water samples for eDNA analysis. TKCP
Barry Reiss PT conducts a demonstration training session on physiotherapy with Health Workshop Coordinator Grace Ruddaka. TKCP
Solar Lighting: Thanks to support from the Honnold Foundation, TKCP’s One Health Solar Lighting Initiative launched in 2022, aiming to reduce fuelwood consumption and indoor smoke exposure to benefit both people and the environment in YUS by distributing off-grid solar home lighting systems for all 350 homes among seven (of 50) YUS villages. In 2024, TKCP will carry out the initiative’s second phase, expected to reach approximately 700 more homes among an additional 15 villages. To secure support for distribution in the remaining 28 villages, TKCP and WPZ will pursue collaboration and support through PNG government partners and donors, both domestic and international.
Community members install a solar streetlamp in Som during the first phase of TKCP’s One Health Solar Lighting Initiative in 2022. TKCP
Mothers perform a drama skit to express the positive impact that solar lighting will have on their daily lives. TKCP
Community members carry their new solar home lighting systems from the airstrip to their village. TKCP
Left to right from top:
TKCP distributing solar home lighting systems for villages throughout Som zone in YUS. TKCP
A Solar Solutions PNG technician provides training for streetlamp installation and maintenance in Gogiok. TKCP
YUS landowner and coffee cooperative leader Koki Biam. TKCP
Kundu drums during a sing sing in YUS. Chris Banks, Zoos Victoria
“As a local organization, TKCP-PNG has come a long way during its first decade - driven by strong leadership, a committed and capable team, close partnerships, and financial stability. Imagine what we can achieve in the next ten years!”
– Trevor Holbrook
STRATEGY 5: LOCAL CAPACITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
TKCP-PNG Board of Directors
Accounting Coordinator
Office Administrator
Associate Director, PNG
Lisa Dabek, Senior TKCP Director
Trevor Holbrook, Senior Program Manager (WPZ)
Conservation Liaison Officer
Protected Area Manager
Research and Monitoring Coordinator Community Conservation Coordinator
Governance and Engagement Manager
Community Engagement Facilitator
Cooperative Operations Coordinator is employed by TKCP on behalf of the YUS Conservation Coffee Cooperative as a Capacity Building effort, to facilitate it’s business operations and management.
Sam Merson, Conservation Monitoring Strategist (WPZ)
TKCP-PNG has been fully staffed by Papua New Guineans since 2020, with a strong and dedicated team of conservation leaders, specialists, and practitioners:
Modi Pontio, Associate Director
Alfred Mark, Governance & Engagement Manager*
Patrick Vuet, Protected Area Manager*
Danny Nane, Community Conservation Coordinator
Dillian Nason, Research & Monitoring Coordinator
Sharon Erick, Livelihoods Coordinator
Danny Samandingke, Community Engagement Facilitator*
Batumang Esengkepe, Land Use Monitor (Upper Yopno)*
Quenas Bataningke, Land Use Monitor (Lower Yopno)*
Stanley Gesang, Land Use Monitor (Upper Uruwa)*
Obert Mutane, Land Use Monitor (Som)*
Hermon Yangeng, YUS Ranger (Bungawat, Som)
Jeffery Andrew, YUS Ranger (Gogiok, Som)
Danny Wande, YUS Ranger (Kalaset, Som)
Nelson Teut, YUS Ranger (Weskokop, Upper Yopno)
Mathias Katus, YUS Ranger (Bonkiman, Lower Yopno)
Soya Werawe, YUS Ranger (Wungon, Upper Yopno)
Tawan Bogon, YUS Ranger (Mek, Lower Yopno)
Weo Bafino, YUS Ranger (Nokopo, Upper Yopno)
Stanis Max, YUS Ranger (Ronji, Nambis)
Mono Sam, YUS Ranger (Singorokai, Nambis)
Aramani Amos, YUS Ranger (Nanaya, Nambis)
Geno Yuwo, YUS Ranger (Worin, Upper Uruwa)
Obtus Jio, YUS Ranger (Towet, Upper Uruwa)
Robson Soseng, YUS Ranger (Gomdan, Lower Uruwa)
Kemo Robert, YUS Ranger (Bembe, Upper Uruwa)
Tommy Narete, YUS Ranger (Sugan, Lower Uruwa)
Moses Nasing, YUS Ranger (Yawan, Upper Uruwa)
* New positions as of 2023
LUP Monitors YUS CA Rangers
Remembering beloved TKCP team members sadly lost too young:
Timmy Sowang, from Sapmanga village. (Lower Uruwa Zone Conservation Officer; former President of the YUS Conservation Organization). Timmy was a passionate advocate for conservation, and worked together with TKCP and Conservation International for more than 17 years. Timmy contributed immensely to conservation efforts in YUS through his traditional knowledge of the land and forests, mobilizing communities to unite in protecting their customary land and natural resources. Timmy passed in 2021 at age 42.
Victor Eki, from Towet village. (Upper Uruwa Zone Conservation Officer). Victor worked together with TKCP for 16 years, and contributed significantly to the YUS Conservation Area’s designation through field mapping of clan land pledges throughout the landscape. Victor shared his commitment to protecting forests, wildlife, and culture throughout YUS through his guidance and support of community land use planning among villages across Uruwa and beyond. Victor passed in 2020 at age 34.
Soya Werawe, from Wungon village. (YUS Ranger, Yopno 1) Soya worked together with TKCP for nearly two decades, beginning with the original tree kangaroo field research in Yopno zone. For more than ten years, Soya served as a YUS Conservation Area Ranger by conducting monthly patrols and gathering data throughout the core protected area. Soya passed in 2023 at age 45.
Weo Bafinuo, from Nokopo village. (YUS Ranger, Yopno 1) Weo joined TKCP as a YUS Conservation Area Ranger in 2016, contributing valuable insight and perspective to the program as an elder and pledged landowner contributing toward creation of the protected area. Weo passed in 2023 at age 50.
Nas Manawase, from Koripon village. (YUS Ranger, Nambis) Nas worked as a YUS Ranger in the Nambis/coastal zone since 2017, conducting patrols and gathering data to guide local protection of the area’s coral reefs, nearshore marine habitats, and wildlife including sea turtles. Nas passed in 2020.
As a result of increasing program and grant management capacity among TKCP’s team in PNG, the organization has successfully secured direct funding for several projects and initiatives implemented between 20212023, including:
• Honnold Foundation support for TKCP’s One Health Solar Lighting Initiative in YUS, providing homes with solar lighting to reduce firewood consumption and indoor smoke exposure
• IUCN’s BIOPAMA support for protected area management effectiveness assessments in YUS, leading into a major 18-month project (2023-2024) to strengthen the YUS Conservation Area’s participatory governance and stakeholder accountability
• Rainforest Trust support to study the feasibility of a Provincial Protected Area Network supporting establishment of additional protected areas throughout the Huon Peninsula
• PNG Biodiversity and Climate Fund support through its first-ever funding round to develop Business and Financial Plans for TKCP and the YUS Conservation Area
• Connected Conservation Foundation’s Satellites for Biodiversity Award supporting TKCP’s monitoring of forest cover and land use change throughout YUS to guide adaptive community-based natural resource management
Woodland Park Zoo provided close guidance and mentorship in the continued development of TKCP-PNG’s financial and administrative systems and processes to further strengthen the organization’s stewardship and accountability.
Page 24, top to bottom: YUS village. TKCP
TKCP’s Lisa Dabek met with the Governor of Morobe Province, Honorable Luther Wenge, in April to discuss collaboration and support for conservation in YUS and the Huon Peninsula. TKCP
The TKCP team celebrated a successful 2023 – and the well-deserved retirement of Conservation Liaison Officer Namo Yaoro – with a beach picnic in Salamaua. TKCP
YUS Conservation Endowment
Insufficient and inconsistent funding is one of the greatest challenges for the effective long-term management of protected areas around the globe. To guard against this risk for the YUS Conservation Area, TKCP and the Woodland Park Zoo established the YUS Conservation Endowment together with Conservation International’s Global Conservation Fund. Established in 2012 via a matching $1 million contribution from CI, the Endowment is housed and managed by the Woodland Park Zoo’s Board of Directors. With a
value of more than $4.3 million as of the end of 2023, the YUS Conservation Endowment provides reliable annual funding (up to 4% of total market value) toward the YUS Conservation Area’s core management and operations in Papua New Guinea including YUS Ranger Patrols, Community Liaison Field Officers, Conservation Area Management Committee engagement, Ecological Monitoring, and more. Between 2013 and 2023, the YUS Endowment provided over $830,000 toward conservation efforts in YUS.
2023 Financial Summary *
The long-term viability of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program and our impacts for wildlife, people, and the environment in Papua New Guinea are rooted in financial support and sustainability.
WPZ Staff and Operations
$312K (28%)
WPZ TKCP Travel, Equipment and Project Expenses
$133K (12%)
CONSOLIDATED EXPENSES
TKCP-PNG Personnel and Benefits
$330K (30%)
TKCP-PNG Office, Administration and Accounting
$98K (9%)
Program Expenses
$223K (20%)
CONSOLIDATED REVENUES
Restricted Grants
$615K (44%)
Foundations
$214K (15%)
Woodland Park Zoo
$290K (21%)
Donations and Contributions
$83K (6%)
Zoos
$61K (4%)
Endowment Distributions
$144K (10%)
*Unaudited; cash basis
“The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program team is grateful for the amazing support from individual donors, zoos, government, and foundations. We could not do this work without you. We consider all our supporters part of the TKCP family. Thank you!”
– Lisa Dabek
DONOR RECOGNITION
We are grateful to all the generous people and organizations whose contributions during 2023 propelled our work in Papua New Guinea. Many of our donors are long-term partners and friends, and we sincerely thank you for your enduring support. Together we have achieved huge and significant successes and look forward to a bright future.
We thank our donors throughout the years and thank the following friends of TKCP for their support in 2023.
$100,000 and above
European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States through the IUCN’s BIOPAMA Programme
Honnold Foundation
Shared Earth Foundation
United States Agency for International Development via DT Global (formerly Cardno International Development)
$20,000 – $99,999
AZA SAFE for Tree Kangaroos of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Biodiversity and Climate Fund via United Nations Development Program PNG
Zoos Victoria
$10,000 – $19,999
Merrick and Lorraine Darley
Rob and Marti Liddell
George Powell
Texas Instruments Foundation
$5,000 – $9,999
Beauval Nature
Cleveland Zoological Society/ Cleveland Zoo
Connected Conservation Foundation
Nina Dabek and Peggy Shannon
Betsy Dennis Overton and Katharine Dennis Fund
Nancy Philips
San Diego Zoo Global
Santa Fe College Foundation
Cyndi Wolfe
$1,000 – $4,999
Aqua Co., Ltd
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Cleveland Metroparks
Georgia Eckett
Julie Edsforth and Jabe Blumenthal
Boyd and Carole Ellestad
Charles Eutsler and Jerry Petree
Richard and Ginger Goldman
Carol and Bruce Hosford
Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium
Yosuke Masubuchi
Anne Mize
Janelle and Ron Norman
Orange County Community Foundation
Robert Plotnick and Gay Lee Jensen
Seattle Foundation
Walt Disney Company
Up to $999
AAZK South Florida Chapter
Harriet Allen
Kerri Arrants
Pamela Barber
Sheryl Barbour
James Barton and Joseph Babarsky
Robert Blake-Macleod
David Bortz and Carolyn Webb
Niranjan Bose and Lea Fields
Jennifer Costabile
Patricia Devereux
Trina Evans
Jamie Ferrell
Janice and Bill Fischel
Serena and Neal Friedman
Jacob Gable
Girl Scout Troop #41841
Jodie Goodman
Drew Goodrich
Joel and Kathryn Hamilton
Jay and Jayden Holmes
Lesly and Emily Kaplan
Linda Knippers
Fred and Wendy Koontz
MasterCard Worldwide
Mizumi Nagahama
Victor and Karen Najjar
Carole Olson
Brandi and Robert Patsfield
Paypal Charitable Giving Fund
Dustin Rankin
Jennifer Schwegler
Akhil Sheth and Helen Dinh
Ken Tang
Wady Valeriano
Amy Voltmer
David Voltmer
Natalie Wright
Ji Zheng
We also deeply appreciate and recognize the support from donors during the period 2019-2022 whose contributions allowed TKCP to thrive and grow in the face of the unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic.
$100,000 and above
Global Environment Facility via UNDP
Rainforest Trust
Shared Earth Foundation
Estate of Kenmour Spencer
John F. Swift and the Swift Family Fund
United States Agency for International Development via DT Global (formerly Cardno International Development)
$50,000 - $99,999
Honnold Foundation
Zoos Victoria
$20,000 - $49,999
Beauval Nature
Merrick and Lorraine Darley
Betsy Dennis
Overton and Katharine Dennis Fund
European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States through the IUCN’s BIOPAMA Programme
Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation
Robert Plotnick and Gay Lee Jensen
George Powell
Seattle Foundation
Maryanne Tagney and David T. Jones
Cyndi Wolfe
$5,000 - $19,999
David Bortz and Carolyn Webb
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks
Nina Dabek and Peggy Shannon
Detroit Zoological Society
National Zoo and Aquarium
Canberra Australia
Linda and Hartmut Peters
Santa Fe College Foundation
Kenmour M. & Marjorie Spencer
Wild Animal Fund and Bainbridge Community Foundation
Craig Tall and Penny LeGate
Texas Instruments Foundation
$1,000 - $4,999
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Anonymous
Pascal Blumenthal
The Boeing Company
Erika Dade
Dallas World Aquarium Corporation
Julie Edsforth and Jabe Blumenthal
Kelly and Steven Erdmanczyk
Charles Eutsler and Jerry Petree
Serena and Neal Friedman
The Hoffmann Family
Kansas City Zoo
Rob and Marti Liddell
Carolyn Marquardt, MD
Miami-Dade County
Anne Mize
Dr. Terence Phillips and Dr. Jennifer Madans
Rohrbach Family
San Diego Zoo Global
Sedgwick County Zoo
Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan
Up to $999
Jane Alexander and Edwin Sherin
Harriet Allen
Sydney Allrud
Anonymous (2)
Betty Barba
Pamela Barber
Susan Barkan
Glen and Susan Beebe
Brian Belknap
Dominique Bideau
Debra Birenbaum
Jennifer Brooks
Sarah Brooks
Kenneth Burchard
Karlana Carpen
Peter Carter and Deborah Carter
Eugene Casaleggio
Lisa and Peter Cashdan
April Chang
Joel Conley
Jennifer Costabile
Patricia Devereux
Janice and Bill Fischel
Frank Freitas
Carolyn and Milton Frye
Deborah Furchtgott
Leslie Goldman
Richard and Ginger Goldman
Hallie and Patrick Halferty
Sherri Hall
Charles and Judith Herr
Mark Higgins and Lauri Anderson
Diane Hildebrand
Scott Howell
Arlette Johnson
Jim Kearns
Amy Kallander
Elizabeth Kent
Fred and Wendy Koontz
Rebecca Kranz and Steve Hunt
Scott Lackey
Heidi Lange
Christine and James MacDonald
Megan MacDowell
Elizabeth Mangan and Jackson Patterson
Wendy and Paul Manganiello
MasterCard Worldwide
Allison and Makamae Masuda
Joseph McCaig
Gary and Ruby Middleton
Deborah Miller
Alexandra Neubert
Ben Oates
Thomas and Patricia Norton
Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan
Robert and Diane Palac
Mattias Peake
Patrick Pester
John and Mary Philbrick
Ellen Philips
Nancy Philips
Bancroft and Mary Poor
Charles Powell
Daniel Powell
Carol Proesel
Alison Pugash
Donna Ramos
Victoria Richardson
Kai Robertson
Carol Sarnoff
Xanthe Scheps
Nancie Severs
Genevieve Smith
Seoho Song
Kailee Souvanaphong
Anne and Andrew Stein
Carole Surey
Michael Sweeney and Annalisa Gabrielli
Louise Taylor
Vylia and Carol Tofle
Dr. Emily Transue and Hartmut Frenzel
Deidre Westervelt
Ariela Xu
Dillon Young
Rihito Yumoto
Kate and Hans Zeschin
YUS Conservation Endowment Contributors: TKCP and WPZ sincerely thank all of our supporters who have collectively helped us invest over $2 million in principal to establish the YUS Conservation Endowment (see p.28) with Conservation International. The endowment provides annual funding support for the management of the YUS Conservation Area in perpetuity. As of the end of 2023, the YUS Conservation Endowment value has grown to more than $4.3 million and has provided more than $830,000 for conservation efforts in YUS since 2013.
$100,000 and above:
Anonymous
Conservation International
Estate of Lorene E. Currier
$50,000 - $99,999
Cammi Libby
Jeff Libby
George Meyer and Maria Semple
Robert Plotnick and Gay Jensen
Seattle Foundation
John F. Swift
Swift Family Fund
Margie Wetherald, Len Barson and Robin Barson
$20,000 - $49,999
The Blumenthal-Edsforth Family
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Nina Dabek and Peggy Shannon
Merrick and Lorraine Darley
Klorfine Foundation
Microsoft Corporation
Linda and Hartmut Peters
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Kevin M. Schofield
Craig Tall and Penny LeGate
The Nature Conservancy
The Shared Earth Foundation
Wilson Gift Fund
Susan Wyckoff
$5,000 - $19,999
Adobe Systems, Inc.
Anonymous
Paul and Sarah Balle
Sonya and Tom Campion
Stuart N. DeSpain
Elsevier Inc.
Serena and Neal Friedman
Lynn Hall*
Ted and Tara Hart
Rosemarie Havranek and Nathan Myhrvold
The Hoffmann Family
Rampa Hormel, Enlyst Fund
Carol and Bruce Hosford
Leonard and Norma Klorfine
Stuart Klorfine
Victoria Leslie
Trish Miner
Nancy Ruth Fund
Richard and Kristin Saada
Schaar & Whelpton Foundation
Sedgwick County Zoo
Gary Smith and Kathleen Kemper
Maryanne Tagney and David T. Jones
Texas Instruments Foundation
Gwen and Gail Warren
$1,000 - $4,999
Anonymous (2)
John and Andrea Adams
Albuquerque BioPark
Jacque Blessington
Jane Alexander and Edwin Sherin
Paul Balle
Bay Family
Beauval Nature
Glen and Susan Beebe
Laura Bentley
David Brunelle
Mark Christiansen
Cleveland Zoological Society/ Cleveland Zoo
Michael and Lois Craig
Lisa Dabek and Bruce Ellestad
Richard and Ginger Goldman
IBM Corporation
Sugi Kana
Glenn H. Kawasaki Foundation
Rob and Marti Liddell
Ruth and Terry Lipscomb
Bert and Susan Loosmore
Macbeth Family
Milwaukee County Zoo
Daniel and Meredith Morris
Greg Parrott
The Reeve Family
Patti Savoy
Adam and Catherine Schaeffer
Karin Schwartz
Lauren and Patrick Sellen
Lisa Tiedt
UBS Financial Services
Utah’s Hogle Zoo
Peter Valentine
Richard Wurdack and Gena Shurtleff
Lauren Wyckoff
Up to $999
Richard Abel and Roberta Berner
Hannah Ahmed
Harriet Allen
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Anonymous (7)
Avery and Marcia Aten
Robert Bailey
Dominique Bideau
Richard Biribauer
Barbara Birney
The Boeing Company
Victor Bozzo
John Brooks*
Mylene Brooks
Sarah Brooks
Barbara Christensen and Jeff Meyer
Sharon Clemeson
Susan Cohen
Stephan Coonrod and Cheryl Clark
Gabriel Cronin
Kim Daly-Crews
Sophie Danforth
Brian Darley
James DeBonis
Daniel Dechert
Patrick Dessalle
Scott Dew and Colleen Hanlon
Tamara DiCaprio
Laurie and C. Bert Dudley
Barbara Ermentrout
Donna and Steve Estes Antebi
Charles and Rose Ann Finkel
Janice and Bill Fischel
Arianne Foulks
Harmony Frazier and Michael Breen
Deena Fuller
James Galbraith
Mary Gillmore
Madeleine Hagen
Edie and Brian Hall
Susan Hall
George and Carol Harell
Ryan and Heather Hawk
Nancy and Paul Hawkes
Sheila Horowitz
Rochelle Howe and Jonathan Greene
Ken Katsumoto
Jenny Kim and Stephen Sun
Jeanne and Jason Kinnard
Amy Kitchener
Yoko Kobayashi
Nicole Labrecque
BJ and Nayna Laird
Jacob Langley
Monica Lieb
Lincoln Children’s Zoo
David and Lois Madsen
Lindsay Malone
Christine McKnight
Gary Mozel
Val and Laird Muraoka
Judy Nyman-Schaaf
Oaklawn Farm Zoo
Darrin O’Brien
Anne Palaszewski
Christopher Pepin and Ken Miller
Craig Pepin
Mimi Polk Gitlin
Jeremy Potash
Helen Ralph
Helen Ramirez
Roberta Roberts
Rohrbach Family
Kimberly Sanders
Santa Fe College Foundation
Carol Sarnoff
Benjamin Schweinhart
Ellen Sciutto
Patricia and Scott Sebelsky
Judie and Rick Steenberg
Anne and Andrew Stein
Laurie Stewart
Jonathan and Tiffany Sweet
TCS & Starquest Expeditions
Steven Thornton and Nancy Ostrander
Suzanne Tomassi and Mike Kaputa
Russ White
Kevin and Jo Wilhelm
Mike and Jan Williams
Ann P. Wyckoff
Christy Wyckoff
Stacie and Joseph Zane
Jacob Zimmerman
Zoological Partnerships:
TKCP is supported by zoological institutions throughout the globe which are working together for the conservation of tree kangaroos.
TKCP is the designated field program for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan (AZA TK-SSP). Species Survival Plan programs focus on animals in danger of going extinct in the wild, using breeding in zoos as one approach to help the species survive.
The AZA Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program for Tree Kangaroos of Papua New Guinea supports a holistic approach to conservation, incorporating in situ and ex situ conservation initiatives and promoting collaboration among zoological institutions for the protection of tree kangaroo species and habitat.
For more information and to support our program, please contact:
UNITED STATES
Lisa Dabek
Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98103 USA
T: +1 (206) 548-2623
E: Lisa.Dabek@zoo.org
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Modi Pontio
5th Street Professionals Building P.O. Box 360, Lae Morobe Province 411, PNG
T: +675-472-7226
E: Modi.Pontio@treekangaroo.org
The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) is the partnership between the Woodland Park Zoo’s TKCP and TKCP-PNG. TKCP-PNG is an independent non-governmental organization registered in Papua New Guinea. Front cover image by Markis Pesko, WCS. Back cover image by Lisa Dabek, WPZ.
