Held during the second week of the National Protected Areas Forum, the Business Planning for Protected Areas training lab focused on financial management for communities and organizations that manage Protected Areas across the country.

UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Dirk Wagener said a main objective of the training was to help Protected Area implementers consider how they can plan and administer self-financing options that contribute to the management of Protected Areas.

“UNDP has long been involved in supporting Papua New Guinea to expand its protected areas network. This is critical to conserving the country’s incredible biodiversity."

"These stakeholders received training in financial management. This included grant proposal writing to increase capacity to apply for funding and manage and report grants outcomes to potential donors.”

Representatives from some of the organizations attending the training included World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative.

The training materials will be published on a national website which hosts a toolkit of resources for Protected Area managers: www.pngbiodiversity.org

Additionally, business planning guidelines for Papua New Guinea’s Protected Areas will also be produced as a resource tool for stakeholders to develop and implement their own business plans. Watch: Adaptative Management for Conservation.

Business Planning for Protected Areas was delivered by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with Government’s Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority. This work is made possible with the generous funding assistance of the Global Environment Facility.