Ona Keto Community Reforestation Project – Papua New Guinea

Overview

Ona Keto Peoples Foundation Inc. (OKPF) is a community based organization from EHP – Papua New Guinea. It started on grassland reforestation in 2002-03 due to fast spread of grassland with funds from GEF in one pilot village of Kenangi. After that pilot exercise as small nursery was built and then the CBO got registered as an Association and with a full Board of Directors the reforestation work expanded to other villages. And with great interest, a proposal to UNEP-APFED where the project became as showcase and APFED funded with US$30,000.00.
The interest in reforestation led to the CBO organizing other activities like capacity building, health and nutrition training, climate change and biodiversity awareness, proposal writing, para-legal training for the community village court officials, and sustainable livelihood alternatives projects activities, like fishing farming, poultry, vegetable farming, rice and other crop cultivation. But the main activity is tree planting. The partnership increased to included ICCO(Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation), PNGEFF(Papua New Guinea Ecoforestry Forum), IUCN-Netherlands, and PNG Forestry Authority. In 2010, the Ona Keto Community Reforestation project won a national ward for the Energy Globe. So far about 30,000 trees have been planted by the communities of Ona Keto and a new proposal is submitted to Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund for a larger nursery as the demand for seedling has increased and communities from other districts are also requesting for support in community reforestation.
http://partnersinconservation.wordpress.com/tag/ona-keto-peoples-foundation/

Points about the partnership

OKPF is a CBO that is a partner to Partners With Melanesians Inc. (PWM). PWM is a national conservation and community development NGO in PNG, working in Oro, EHP, Simbu and Central Provinces in PNG. PwM provides technical and administration advice and support to OKPF and its communities in the Daulo district of Eastern Highlands province of PNG.