Empowering Stewardship in the Coral Triangle – 'Coral Triangle Women’ Papua New Guinea
Empowering Women Through Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation
The Story
In Manus Province, Papua New Guinea, coastal communities depend heavily on the sea for food, livelihoods and resilience. Women play an important role through shallow fishing, fish processing and handicrafts, but their contributions remain concentrated in lower-value activities and their voices are often limited in decisions about marine resources and conservation.
The project builds on women’s existing knowledge by strengthening their skills, income opportunities and participation in natural resource management. Through training, capacity building and support for community-led conservation, women will have greater opportunities to contribute to the decisions that shape their marine resources and livelihoods.
Quick Facts
.png)
Goal
Strengthen women’s economic resilience and leadership in sustainable natural resource management, particularly marine conservation, by expanding women’s livelihood opportunities, skills, confidence and participation in local natural resource management.
Location:
Pere, M’Bunai, Timoenai and M’Buke Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea.
Project Period:
March 6, 2025 – September 30, 2028.
End of reporting period: March 31, 2029.
Women’s Empowerment Focus:
Women’s economic empowerment, leadership, participation in natural resource management, marine conservation, livelihood diversification, skills development and greater participation in community decision-making.
Key Livelihood Activities:
Strengthening and diversifying natural resource management and green livelihood opportunities for women, including sustainable marine-based activities, participatory planning, technical training, capacity building and support for women-led NRM groups.
W+ Domains:
Income & Assets; Education & Knowledge.
Beneficiaries:
90 project beneficiaries. A baseline survey covered 51 beneficiaries.
Monitoring:
A baseline survey was conducted in November 2025 to establish reference values for women’s income and assets and their knowledge of marine-based livelihoods and natural resource conservation. An endline assessment is planned for approximately 12 months later, by March 2027.
Project Developer:
The Nature Conservancy.
Project Sector:
Natural resource conservation and promotion of marine conservation-based livelihoods
What We Did
The project is designed to strengthen and diversify natural resource management and green livelihood opportunities for women while increasing their leadership in sustainable natural resource management and marine conservation.
Activities include participatory planning with communities to identify gaps and training needs, training and awareness on gender equity in natural resource management, and a gender assessment of the Pihi Ward to understand the capacity of women-led natural resource management groups.
Women and women’s groups are supported through technical training and capacity building to develop, implement and lead local natural resource management plans. The project also supports gender-equitable governance within community groups and participatory monitoring of marine ecosystems.
Women will also participate in regional learning exchanges to build skills and confidence and connect with women leaders from other project implementation countries.
Together, these activities are designed to strengthen women’s economic resilience, expand their access to sustainable livelihood opportunities, and increase their leadership and participation in natural resource management and marine conservation.
Results and Impact
The project has established a baseline for measuring changes in women’s income, assets and knowledge related to marine-based livelihoods and natural resource conservation.
The baseline survey was conducted in November 2025 and covered 51 of the 90 project beneficiaries. An endline assessment is planned by March 2027 to measure changes attributable to the project interventions.
Results will be assessed across the Income & Assets and Education & Knowledge W+ domains, with differences between baseline and endline results used to calculate W+ credits in accordance with the W+ Standard methodology.
In the Field
Behind the scenes of projects directly from the technical experts on the ground.
Fund a Verified Solution — One Credit at a Time
Women Leading Sustainable Resource Management
.jpeg)
Empowering Stewardship in the Coral Triangle - ‘Coral Triangle Women’- Soloman Islands
.jpeg)
Empowering Stewardship in the Coral Triangle - ‘Coral Triangle Women’ Indonesia
Women-Led Community Forest Conservation Initiative in Mau Forest Ecosystem, Narok County, Kenya
Community Led Food Forest Project (CFFP)
Costa Rica REDD+ Result-based Payment (RBP) for Results Period 2014-2015
.jpeg)
Measuring the Impact of RiceTech Cambodia Project on Women’s Livelihoods and Adaptability to Climate Change
Global Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP)
Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, Kenya
Women Leading Regenerative Change in Brazil’s Cerrado
Fisher Folks Making Circular Economy Work for The Western Tonle Sap Lake Project
Improved Cookstoves (ICS) Programme
Bokpoort CSP Programme, South Africa
Khalladi Wind Farm Project in Morocco
Rural Ghassate, Morocco Women’s Cooperatives and Practical Training
WaterBus - Measuring Time Savings and Income/Assets generated by the WaterBus Transport system
Improved Firewood Cookstoves Programme, Honduras
Stoves that Save Time and Energy in KhRos
Financial Literacy Program in Vietnam
Indonesia Domestic Biogas Programme
Clean Energy that Restores Forests and Empowers Women in Nepal
Growing Resilience Through Agricultural Innovation in Kenya (Pula)
Women-led Community Resilient Local Governance in India (wCOREL)
Mangrove Protection through Cleaner Fish Smoking in Cameroon
Solar Water Pumps for Salt Farmers of Kutch
Building Climate Resilience in the Sundarbans through Mangrove Restoration
