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New Guinea

The island of New Guinea has the third largest rainforest in the world. Though it covers less than 0.5% of the world’s land area, New Guinea is home to up to 8% of the world’s species - and around half of them are unique to the island. But its forests are disappearing at an alarming rate - a quarter of them lost or degraded over the last 30 years.

Ymas Lake village

The forests and magnificent wetlands of New Guinea are home to more than 800 bird species, including extraordinary birds of paradise; plus over 500 types of reptile and amphibian; unique mammals such as tree kangaroos; and some 25,000 plant species.

In the past decade, scientists have recorded over 1000 new species on the island. Every new expedition finds several hundred more species at a time.

New Guinea’s cultural diversity is unparalleled too - more than 1000 languages are spoken on the island.

Releasing juvenile crocodile, Tarifai

Why we’re involved

The island’s environment is under severe pressure from unsustainable or poorly planned development. New Guinea’s forests face growing threats from:

  • illegal and unregulated logging
  • conversion of forest for agriculture, especially palm oil production
  • mining and oil and gas development 
With all of these come new roads, opening up previously remote areas. High population growth also brings significant threats from subsistence farming, hunting and fires.

Planned logging concessions, agricultural plantations, mines and roads could see the island lose a third of its remaining rainforest. That would not only destroy precious habitat for many species, but also the chances for the island communities’ long-term economic growth.

Sepik child

How we’re helping

Our vision is that the people of New Guinea and its islands maintain their extraordinary natural and cultural heritage while meeting their development needs.

We’re working with local communities, other NGOs, scientists, industry and governments in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the countries that share the island.

In particular, we’re focusing on:

  • Forest land-use and development planning - we’re helping to develop local and national planning policies that recognise the needs of the environment and local communities.
  • Responsible forest management - we’re lobbying the authorities to control illegal logging and encourage responsible forestry. We’re also helping communities to manage their forests sustainably, get certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and find a market for sustainable forest products.
  • Industry reform - we’re working to raise environmental and social standards in key industries, including palm oil, oil and gas, and mining.
  • Protected areas - between 2004 and 2007, we helped create 12 protected areas covering 7,700km2. They form part of a 20,000km2 protected area crossing the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border in the south of the island. But New Guinea’s amazing species urgently need a wider range of protected areas, and they need to be better looked after. We’re working with the PNG government to develop policies and guidelines that will improve the way protected areas are managed.
  • Conservation financing - we’re looking to develop ways to pay for conservation and sustainable development. Community enterprises, protected areas and other conservation projects need investment to set up and sustain themselves. One potential source of funding we’re supporting is a UN scheme for reducing emissions for deforestation and forest degradation, called REDD+. Developing countries will be paid for the carbon stored in their forests, helping to make the forest more valuable standing than cut down.