Papua New Guinea Establishes First Ever Conservation Area, Tree Kangaroo Among Protected
187,800 acres of some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world have been set aside as the first national conservation area in Papua New Guinea’s history. The newly protected region is home to a swath of endangered species, most notably the IUCN-listed tree kangaroo.
Dubbed the YUS Conservation Area, named after the Yopno, Uruwa and Som river systems which flow through its heart, the Singapore-sized region spans from the country’s northern coastal reefs as far inland as its interior mountains– the 13,000 ft. peaks of the Saruwaged Range. This also marks the first time the region’s 35 culturally-distinct villages have come together for the purpose of protecting their collective homeland.
