Paradise Q&A:
Marine biologist Andy Lewis
Q: What motivated you to start the PNG Marine Conservation Initiative 2020?
A: This area of the eastern Coral Sea Triangle contains the last great tract of high biodiversity reef in the world, and it desperately needs more marine protected areas. This means getting out to the remote PNG islands and supporting the communities in their reef-management aspirations. We
(the Coral Sea Foundation) have the 24-metre dive vessel Golden Dawn for our work this year, which is vital for access to the islands of Melanesia.
Q: How many expeditions are you planning this year and who can participate?
A: We are planning five expeditions: the first to the Louisiade Archipelago, the second to D’Entrecasteaux Islands, the third to the south-east Bismarck Sea (Kimbe and Manus) islands, the fourth to the north-west Bismarck Sea (Hermit and Ninigo atolls), and the fifth to the Solomon Islands and Bougainville.
The vessel will be crewed by Coral Sea Foundation marine scientists, including our indigenous Sea Women of Melanesia, representatives from the PNG Centre for Locally Managed Areas, the Conservation and Environmental Protection Agency, and medical personnel.
Q: How do fisheries benefit from projects such as this?
A: Research by members of the Coral
Sea Foundation scientific team has shown conclusively that marine reserves have more fish – and larger fish – than equivalent areas nearby that are open to fishing. Larger fish produce many more offspring that help replenish fish stocks on the nearby reefs open to fishing. This is the crucial concept that we are trying to get across to the local people – a marine reserve is a win–win situation because they will catch more fish and have an ecological resource attractive to ecotourists.
Q: How can ecotourism help develop marine reserves in PNG?
We explain to the local communities that the primary benefit of a marine reserve is sustainable fish catches for their own people. We also let them know that marine protected areas are highly attractive to ecotourists, and so a secondary benefit of a marine reserve is a source of ecotourism income for the community. That income provides a strong incentive for people to observe the ‘no-take’ rules of the marine reserve. Ecotourism plays an important role in the bigger marine conservation picture.
Q: What are some of the stories that have emerged from your work in the Coral Triangle?
A: We have seen some incredible sights underwater, but the most gratifying moments have come through interactions with the people of PNG. In 2018, on a shoestring budget, I travelled 160 kilometres by open longboat to help my good friends at Ferguson Island with their marine reserve work.
Grown men were in tears at the community meetings; they were so thankful that somebody had shown interest in their well being. Together, we designated the seven protected reefs of the Nua Marine reserve network. At the end of my time there, I was taken to a stunning waterfall that no outsider had ever seen, and I was gifted a beautiful native house on the edge of the rainforest in Sebutuia Bay. Such incredible generosity from these humble people that had so little; I was deeply touched.
Q: Are you planning to launch other programs or initiatives for 2020 through the Coral Sea Foundation?
A: We have plenty of exciting projects in the pipeline, from developing our own multihull expedition vessel that will run on wind power and coconut oil, to delivering our first waste plastic conversion units at Hermit Atoll to help deal with the pollution problem by turning plastic rubbish into cooking gas. All of these things depend on building the partnerships that can secure our funding stream.