Kup reforestation

Kup Reforestation is a Community Base Organization in Kerowagi District Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea. The Organization was established in 1999 and got its registration in 2021. It is managed by staff with different skills and knowledge.

• Ps Peter Temin Dree, founder and initiator, will be heading the project,
• Mr. Michael Koimb, Project Officer, a resigned Forestry Officer with 25 years’ experience in Forestry will manage the project and overseer every project activities and provide in-house technical advice,
• Helder Philip Pandage, Project Field Supervisor, supervise reforestation and training activities,
• MS Dee T Hellen Field, Supervisor, Habitat mapping and conservation,
• Ms Martha Urape, Accounts and Admin Officer, manage the project funds and activities budget for.

These staff will take the project to it s next level. Kup Reforestation main aim is to reforest, restore and conserve Kup LLG forest, Simbu Province and neighboring Province Jiwaka by distributing seedling trees of different native tree species for our ecosystem and biodiversity in order to promote community sustainable livelihood, and create healthy ecosystem for future generation through biodiversity conservation efforts. Let’s all start today for a better tomorrow.

Kup is known for its grassland and few remaining forests. The climate change effects have great impact in affecting the extinction our flora and fauna:

• forest destroyed through intense heat bush fires,
• soil erosion and floods during raining seasons
• droughts during dry seasons.

These effects have impact on drinking water supplied communities dried up and decrease water availability, affects local food crops through soil degradation. Most of all major fore happens during dry seasons and most of the grassland areas burnt to ash leaving bare land degradation and loss of natural resources for community utilization.

The baseline for Kup biodiversity has estimated to be around 6,000 hectares of forest but due to the above climate change impact has caused decreased in forest to about 3,000 hectares per LLG and the remaining 3,000 hectares of forest will be conserved and preserved and we also aiming to restore and conserve for Conservation of Natural Biodiversity of its natural forest by conserving 100,000 to 200,000 hectares of natural forest land.

The project relevance on conserving and restoring natural habitats, enhancing ecosystem service and protecting biological diversity from habitat loss with such as:

• over harvesting of forest resources such as small-scale logging, used of portable sawmill targeting native hardwood timbers species,
• Threats from land use subsistence agriculture, more land are cleared for subsistence gardening,
• Harvesting of building materials, more trees and plants are harvested for building and other uses.

Kup Reforestation have a participatory approaches where communities will take ownership of the process and benefits from the project and benefits from the project and they will contribute meaningfully to the project and I quote “Kup Reforestation will teach the communities how to look after the Fish, not how to catch Fish".

The project will focus on reducing climate risk such as deforestation, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity, which are exacerbated by factors such as land conservations for subsistence agriculture farming and small-scale logging practices and other environment destruction practices. The communities in this region are predominantly rural and depend on natural resources for their livelihood. The project aims are to address the root causes of environmental degradation in the target region, promote climate resilience, empower local communities to actively participate in ecosystem restoration efforts, promotion of biodiversity, and enhancement of ecosystem survive creating a thriving environment for both wildlife and local communities. The project will employ a comprehensive approach that combines reforestation and conservation efforts to restore the natural plants habitat by planting native trees and shrubs, controlling invasive species, and implement sustainable use of natural resources management practices, the project will create a balance ecosystem that support the health and well-being of both flora and fauna. By restoring of natural plants habitat, the project will help improve soil quality, prevent erosion, enhance water retention, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Project objectives

Objective 1: To conduct od hands nursery training workshop for 20 community members in two months.

Purchasing of training materials and equipments for the training Centre building. Building not fully furnished with funds disbursed from IUCN Kiwa Initiative and the building will be sued as a resource centre for any training in the future with our partners. Kup Reforestation has successfully conducted a 1 week training on Climate Change, Reforestation, Conservation on theory and practical skills and knowledge on the 12 different steps from seeds propagation to seedling distribution and planting from the 29th of August to 3rd of September 2025. It was facilitate by the Forestry Officer Mr. Dai Maikai and project Coordinator Ps Peter Temin. 33 graduates with certificates, 4 females and 29 males. The trainees were women, youths and vulnerable groups who have been actively involved in the project

Objective 2: To established a central nursery hub that can produce and supple 100 000 seedling trees of native species

within 6 months time for planting. Kup Reforestation purchase materials, equipments and seeds for the nursey establishment by building a central nursey hub which will produce 80 000 seedling trees within 6 months and it will be an ongoing process which Kup Reforestation swill supply seedlings trees ti family unit, individuals and identified designated areas for reforest and conservation. Currently Kup Reforestation has 40 boxes of native tree seedlings with each box contains and hold 2 000 to 3 000 germinated seeds which are ready to be transplanted to poly bags which means that we can produce and supply 80 000 seedling trees within 6 months time’

Objective 3:To restore 2 000 hectare of degraded habitat by planting 100 000 native trees and shrubs within the next 12 months.

Kup Reforestation purchased seedlings trees and seeds from the Department of Forestry Simbu plus poly bags. The nursery seeds have germinated and should be transplanted to poly bags within the next 3 months (December). It will be ready by April for distribution and will be closely monitor on the progress and survival rates of planted trees to ensure their growth and survival rates. All records of land hectare, planting methology and monitoring data will be done once the seedlings trees are distributed to individual and designated areas.

Social inclusion and gender equity

The intended target groups and beneficiaries of the project include:

• Women,
• youths,
• school children.

The project will prioritize the inclusion of women and youth in project activities, such as:

• tree planting,
• habitat restoration awareness,
• speeches in public,

to promote empowerment and skills development.

Kup and PNG has a culture that women are still classify in some areas as low class and the don’t have a status in the communities it is a male domain culture. With the inclusion of youths and especially women to stand in public and talk, it will have a bigger impact on the culture and customs, because women play a bigger role in our societies.

It is estimated that:

• 60% of the beneficiaries will be women
• 40% will be youths