Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea spreads over the eastern half of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville and Buka and small offshore islands and atolls. Its coastline stretches over 20,197km with 8,000 km of that being mangrove swamps, lagoons, wetlands, coral reefs and atolls. Around 80 percent of its estimated 8 million population live a traditional rural life, supported by the biological richness and diversity of forests, inland waters and coastal seas.

Papua New Guinea has the highest global mangrove diversity with 33 mangrove species and 2 mangrove hybrids. The country holds 70 percent of the Pacifics mangrove stock, making it the most extensive of the region.

It is generally agreed that there are 13 seagrass species present in PNG with the highest species diversity in the southern part of the country and declining eastwards. While eight of them are widely distributed, five are only found in restricted areas. Seagrass communities in PNG grow on fringing reefs, in protected bays and on the protected side of barrier reefs and islands. In some regions, extensive mixed seagrass meadows are the dominant community type and can be contain more than 10 different species.

97 percent of Papua New Guineas land fall under customary ownership. This extends coastal waters within 3 nautical miles of coastline, where customary landowners have the right to conduct traditional activities that involve the use of water but not exclude other users.