New Guinea
Pacific
What makes New Guinea so critical for conservation efforts? It’s the world’s second- largest island, with massive amounts of carbon stored in peatlands and hundreds of species that are found only there. Listen to its one‑of‑a‑kind harmonies.
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Located in the southwest Pacific, New Guinea holds a staggering 7.3 billion metric tons of irrecoverable carbon — including some of the world’s most expansive mangroves, tropical peatlands and rainforests.
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The people of New Guinea are some of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse in the world. The island’s first inhabitants arrived by boat as early as 50,000 years ago, having travelled through the southeast Asian peninsula. New Guinea’s 11 million people speak more than 800 languages — nearly 12 percent of the world’s total.
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While oil palm plantations have replaced peatlands and forests on other islands in Southeast Asia, the province of West Papua, Indonesia, is embarking on a different development path. In 2019, it declared itself the world’s first “Conservation Province,” putting sustainability at the center of its economic activity.
Just 3.3% of Earth’s land contains half of our irrecoverable carbon ecosystems. We must protect these lands in order to prevent a climate disaster. Please join us in taking a stand for nature and each other.