Protect Rare Marsupials in the Third Largest Rainforest in the World
DONATE NOWDONATE NOWCritically endangered marsupials that cling to life in the mountains of Papua New Guinea must be protected from hunting and habitat loss
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Species at Risk
Tenkile/Scott’s Tree Kangaroo (CR), Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo/Weimang (CR), Northern Glider (CR), Black-spotted Cuscus (CR), Oreophryne cameroni (EN), Northern Hydromyine (EN)
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Carbon stored
36,180,944 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Tenkile Conservation Alliance Inc.
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148,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
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Project Cost: $1,306,038
148,000
Critically endangered marsupials that cling to life in the mountains of Papua New Guinea must be protected from hunting and habitat loss
-
Species at Risk
Tenkile/Scott’s Tree Kangaroo (CR), Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo/Weimang (CR), Northern Glider (CR), Black-spotted Cuscus (CR), Oreophryne cameroni (EN), Northern Hydromyine (EN)
-
Carbon stored
36,180,944 mT *
*(metric tons of CO2 equivalents) -
Partner
Tenkile Conservation Alliance Inc.
-
148,000 Proposed Acres Conserved by
Designation
-
Project Cost: £1,036,538
148,000
The island of New Guinea hosts Earth’s third-largest tract of intact tropical forest, after the Amazon and Congo rainforests. It contains 7% of the world’s biodiversity, 30% of which is limited to the island. At least 49 out of 335 global species of marsupial survive here in the wild. These include 12 of the 14 known species of tree kangaroo, marsupials that have adapted to climb and live in trees.
In the spectacular Torricelli Mountain Range in the northwestern area of the island, an ancient virgin forest laced with waterfalls faces growing threats from industrial-scale logging, mining, and hunting. Shockingly, zero percent of this richly biodiverse region is officially protected. Hunting has devastated the populations of two tree kangaroo species found here, the Tenkile and the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, which are now critically endangered.
Rainforest Trust will support our local partner, Tenkile Conservation Alliance Inc. (TCA), as they work with Indigenous Peoples from 43 villages to protect 148,000 acres of their ancestral territories against commercial exploitation through legal agreements called “Conservation Deeds.” TCA plans to secure an overlapping designation of Community Conservation Area (CCA) to further safeguard biodiversity and the rights of Indigenous communities.
Header photo: Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo/Weimang, photo courtesy of TCAI
Meet Papua New Guinea’s rare marsupials
Camera trap footage of the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, photo courtesy of TCAI
Project landscape, photo courtesy of TCAI
Tenkile Tree Kangaroo, photo courtesy of TCAI
Camera trap footage of the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo, photo courtesy of TCAI
Project landscape, photo courtesy of TCAI
Approximately
Tenkile tree kangaroos survive in the wild
Save Rare Marsupials and Other Species in Papua New Guinea
The Tenkile’s population numbers are precariously low, with only about 200 mature individuals surviving. This project will protect 40% of its global range in one of the last strongholds of intact habitat and protect 30% of Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo range. Two other critically endangered, endemic marsupial species in the Torricelli Mountains are also in urgent need of protection: the Northern Glider is restricted to less than 25,000 acres, and an encouraging 75% of its global range will be protected under this project, along with habitat for the Black-spotted Cuscus.
Support Collaborative Conservation
Our partner has worked for two decades with Indigenous communities, government, and other stakeholders in the Torricelli Mountains to establish voluntary, sustainable conservation and management of the fragile rainforest. They have helped local people develop livelihood alternatives that are reducing hunting of marsupials, allowing the populations of tree kangaroos to stabilize.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT >>
Conservation work is critical, challenging, and can be costly. We work hard to ensure we raise only the funds needed for each project. In the rare case we raise more money than needed or a project comes in under budget, excess monies will be transferred to the Conservation Action Fund. This fund supports our important conservation work throughout the tropics.
Project Modifications
Rainforest Trust conducts extensive research and due diligence on each of the projects that we support, so that once a project is offered for public support we believe it will succeed. We work closely with our project implementers, offer support, and regularly monitor their progress. Given the nature of the work, projects may not progress exactly as intended and may be unable to meet all objectives. To respond dynamically to the needs of our project implementers and the realities of the landscapes in which they operate, Rainforest Trust expressly reserves the right to modify a project as it deems necessary, provided that donor intent is honored by ensuring that that the original project objectives are diligently pursued and that project funds continue to benefit the landscape and species identified in the project overview. Project modifications that we may need to make in certain circumstances include the specific project implementer, the size of the landscape to be protected, the type of protection to be afforded to the landscape, and the development of sustainability mechanisms.
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