Kimbe
Encyclopedia : K : KI : KIM : Kimbe
Kimbe is the capital of the provincial island of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. It is a port town on the great Kimbe Bay which boasts more than 60 percent of the coral species of the entire Indo-Pacific.
Active volcanic cones encircle Kimbe Bay on the island of New Britain. Blue-eyed cockatoos and the world’s largest moths fill the air, while bandicoots and wallabies share the landscape with one of the world’s greatest number of orchids.
Offshore coral reefs play an important role in local culture and mythology in Kimbe, even though they are rarely visited by islanders and biologically misunderstood. In Kimbe, as in many other places, coral was commonly considered to be lifeless rock, not a fragile living organism crucial to the survival of fish and other marine life. As a result, reefs were thought to be indestructible and no premium was put on their protection.
The Walindi Plantation Resort is Kimbe Bay’s primary sport diving center and has helped establish Mahonia Na Dari (“Guardians of the Sea” in the local language), a conservation organization sponsors a marine research, conservation and education center to aid scientists and teach natives of Kimbe and other islanders about their ecosystems. Historically, the people of Kimbe and New Britain have had a limited relationship with their marine environment. Few children learn to swim, and residents of inland villages often have never seen the ocean.
Education
Mahonia Na Dari’s marine education program in Kimbe is developing a future generation of conservation leaders to safeguard Kimbe Bay and has been instrumental in building community support for conservation work. Several villages have established community- managed marine protected areas, closing many reefs to allow them to recover from overharvesting. The education program is so successful in Kimbethat it is being integrated into Papua New Guinea’s National School Teaching Curriculum. The marine conservation and research center now hosts scientists from Australia’s James Cook University and the University of Papua New Guinea, whose research and monitoring help inform conservation work. The Conservancy is planning to expand its marine conservation efforts to the nearby provinces of New Ireland and Manus.
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