PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) — A biodiversity project in the Waria Valley of Morobe province in Papua New Guinea, being promoted by the U.K.-based environmental group Coral Cay Conservation, has been opposed.
The Atai Bego clan, one of several clans that are involved in the project to conserve the flora and fauna of the Waria Valley, claims it has been “pushed to the side” by proponents of the project.
Clan leader Gayang Niaura said made a verbal agreement with Coral Cay for small-scale and sustainable livelihood projects to be set up, and for clan leaders to be kept up to date with the progress of the project.
Field assistants and tour guides were also to be recruited from the clan.
Over the past seven months the research team sampled and released almost 50 bats, 60 herpetiles — reptiles and amphibians — which are yet to be identified.
They also identified dozens of butterfly species and a list of rodents and marsupials.
Niaura claimed an agreement signed last year for the project did not involve them. “Our clan was not part of the signing, and to this date, we are not sure what the intentions are,” he said.
No one from Atai Bego signed the memorandum of agreement and were not aware of this research motive, he added.
He said they only had a verbal agreement with the researchers.
“We will not allow Coral Cay to keep on ignoring us while operating on our land,” Niaura said.