PNG hosts third project steering committee meeting
Participants at the third National Steering Committee at the Lamana Hotel.
29 May 2025, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – Papua New Guinea convened its third National Steering Committee (NSC) Meeting for the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (MACBLUE) project on 29 May at the Lamana Hotel in Port Moresby.
The meeting brought together 15 key stakeholders from government agencies, academic institutions, civil society, and international partners to review project progress and coordinate upcoming activities.
Chaired by Mr William Lakain, Acting General Manager of MRV & National Communications at the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), the session featured presentations and updates from consultants and implementing partners of the MACBLUE project.
Discussions covered all five MACBLUE output areas, including initial change maps for Gulf Province, updates on assessing cultural ecosystem values, preliminary results from field carbon stock assessments, including first-time soil organic carbon data processed by Griffith University and the four communities in New Ireland Province now supported by MACBLUE to develop local mangrove and seagrass management plans.
At the meeting, the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) provided updates on Papua New Guinea’s third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and its inaugural Biennial Transparency Report (BTR), set for completion by the end of 2025 under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) also presented progress on the Blue Carbon Policy Roadmap, highlighting efforts with the Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights to turn previous legal reviews into concrete national policy recommendations.
The session concluded with a review of planned activities for the third and fourth quarters of 2025, reinforcing the need for sustained collaboration among project partners.
Key next steps include promoting the cultural values survey among provincial stakeholders, conducted by the Matari’i Group, and preparing for the final NSC meeting, which may coincide with the official launch of the PNG Blue Carbon Policy Roadmap.