CAPABILITY STATEMENT Organisation Profile The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) focuses on the Scott’s Tree Kangaroo (Tenkile) and Golden- mantled Tree Kangaroo (Weimang) as flagship species for achieving broad forest biodiversity conservation outcomes in the Torricelli Mountain Range, Sandaun and East Sepik Provinces, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Our main objective is to establish this mountain range as a legislated Conservation Area. In order to achieve this goal the TCA has been working closely with the 50 villages that own the Torricelli Mountain Range. An award winning organisation, TCA has become internationally recognised by top scientists including Professor Tim Flannery, Dr Jane Goodall and Sir David Attenborough. TCA prides itself in taking a holistic approach to achieving conservation objectives and strengthening the relationship with the local stakeholders. Flexibility, determination and passion are key drivers behind our success. Organisation Experience TCA has been established in Lumi, Sandaun Province since 2001 and is a registered Non-government Organisation in PNG. Our extensive experience of working in collaborative partnerships with local stakeholders, international partners and donor organisations delivering a range of projects means we can provide a comprehensive portfolio of consultancy and advisory services in the following area of work: • Community engagement and mobilisation • Community Education and communication • Community planning, organisation and management training • Community development, project design and implementation • Project implementation and logistics in a rural environment • Capacity Building for local grassroots people in PNG • Scientific research and biodiversity assessment Key Projects Community engagement and mobilisation A variety of community engagement activities have been undertaken since 2004. These activities have been designed and implemented throughout the TCA project area, which comprises 50 villages and a population greater than 12,000 people. Activities include: • Village visits, • Village drama programs, Postal Address: PO Box 1304, Wewak, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea Email - [email protected] Website - www.tenkile.com Digicel – 7314 0170 • Radio program on Radio Sandaun (Radio Station in Vanimo), • Teacher training • School education program Community engagement has lead to village mobilisation resulting in many changes seen throughout the project area including the establishment of a tree kangaroo hunting moratorium, establishment of “no go” areas of land and various community development projects outlined below. Community Education and communication Education within a rural community is on-going due to high illiteracy and poor education levels. The TCA is committed to providing quality education programs to local people in a variety of formats, which cater for the illiterate. These include various literature, activities, training programs, workshops and practical workshops. Most of the education programs have been designed, written and implemented by TCA. Training manuals are written in Melanesian Pidgin English and use local examples and context to enhance the learning experience. Training manuals, toolkits and other literature developed by the TCA include: • Teacher Training in science and conservation • Conservation Area Training in natural resource management • Health and Hygiene education combining PHAST and CLTS methodology • HIV/AIDS and family planning training with a toolkit of activities • Carbon and climate change awareness and booklets • Rainforest and Biodiversity courses & booklets • Research – Distance Sampling courses, booklets & fieldwork • Newsletters, brochures and posters • WASH Booklet • Rice farming booklet • One toilet per household Community Planning, organisation and management training The Tenkile Conservation Alliance has conducted various activities in assisting communities to develop their management skills. These include: • Conservation Area management Training • WATSAN (Water and Sanitation) management Training • WATSAN (Water and Sanitation) leadership Training • Monitoring and Evaluation Forums with stakeholders Community Development project design and implementation The TCA has had an on-going relationship with the 50 local villages within the project area since 2001. This has created a great deal of trust and belief in TCA’s goals and objectives. Regular meetings with village representatives have enabled TCA to gain a clear understanding of stakeholders development needs. Thorough monitoring and evaluation activities have enabled TCA to build a momentum of project implementation and flexibility when required. Activities include: • TCA meetings (at the village and at the TCA Base-Lumi, Sandaun Province) • Village patrols (village visits to collect information directly from the stakeholders) • Village planning (sketch maps, transect walks, timelines) • Monitoring and Evaluation forums (problem tree analysis, SWOT analysis, De bonos six thinking hats) • Survey collection (questionnaires, Most Significant Change stories, pocket chart) • Population data collection, demographics and village profiles Postal Address: PO Box 1304, Wewak, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea Email - [email protected] Website - www.tenkile.com Digicel – 7314 0170 Project implementation and logistics in a rural environment The community development projects undertaken by the TCA are primarily sustainable livelihood projects, which include: • Alternative protein farming (rabbits, chickens and fish) • Water and Sanitation projects (water tanks and VIP toilets) • Improved agriculture (crop rotation gardening, rice milling and training thereof) Due to the remote location of the project area, the logistics in implementing such projects has always been difficult, in particular the transportation of materials. However, with 12 years experience in working in both East Sepik and Sandaun Provinces, TCA is equipped with the necessary networks and knowledge to implement both small and large scale projects. Success in this area include: • Established 350 x 1000 gallon Tuffa Tanks and water catchment systems to 50 villages • Established 40+ rabbit farms throughout the project area • Delivered materials for establishing chicken coups – 50 villages • Delivered fish fingerlings throughout the project area • Rice milling machines being used by groups of villages • Delivery of seeds and gardening training in 18 villages Capacity Building for local grassroots people in PNG The capacity Building activities conducted in the TCA project area are wide and varied. Knowledge training and skills development training have been the focus of our activities however many experienced TCA staff are continuing to develop their skills in computer technology. Our primary education and training programs include: • School education program (Upper Primary and High School grade 4-10) • Teacher training • Research training • Health and Hygiene education training • Facilitator and Project Officer training • Carbon and climate change awareness training • Natural resource management training • Water and sanitation management training The results of these education programs has meant local staff and stakeholders are capable of conducting the following activities independently of ex-patriot staff: • Collection of research data (point transect distance sampling methodology) • Collection of waypoints and track log using GPS • Installation of water tanks, VIP toilets and Tippy taps (hand washing facility) • Implementation of conservation and science lesson plans • Protection and management of local Natural Resources • Facilitation of various education programs and participatory learning experiences including PHAST / CLTS, HIV/AIDS and family planning training Scientific research and biodiversity assessment In order to establish the effectiveness of the TCA’s objectives we have been monitoring the population of Tree Kangaroos found throughout the Torricelli Mountain Range since 2003. The methodology chosen is known as Point Transect Distance Sampling. The TCA also uses mist nets and camera traps as a means of identifying levels of biodiversity throughout the 14 established research sites. Major activities include: • Distance sampling data collection and analysis since 2003 Postal Address: PO Box 1304, Wewak, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea Email - [email protected] Website - www.tenkile.com Digicel – 7314 0170 • Camera trapping program established in 2011 • Carbon assessment plots established since 2010 • Scientific paper on camera trapping written (in press) – 2012 • Partnership with Deakin University established – 2013 Organisation Staff The Tenkile Conservation Alliance currently has 40 staff both permanent and casual. Ex-patriot managers are responsible for building local capacity among the key local staff that work directly with villages. They include 8 teams comprising of Project Officers (8) and Facilitators (8). HIV Aids trainers, rabbit farming trainers, plumbers and carpenters all work closely with the team leaders during project implementation in the field. Each team is responsible for 5 or 6 villages depending on the geographic location and accessibility. Mr Jim Thomas – Director Mr Jim Thomas, age 45, is the Director of the Tenkile Conservation Alliance and has over 12 years experience in Project Management, leadership and research. He has a background in the Zoo and University fields and has worked with many Endangered Species Recovery Programs. He studied Science at La Trobe