Conflict Islands Hope Spot
The Conflict Islands atoll is an isolated ring of 21 individual islands surrounded by brilliant blue water in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
A Spectacular Discovery
Conservation International conducted an ecological report which revealed that the reefs hold more than half the world’s coral species – making the Conflict Islands one of the richest natural habitats in the world.
Thanks to the atoll’s remote location, its vibrant ecosystem has been left virtually untouched. The islands have an incredible advocate; the organization Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative (CICI) has been hard at work over the last couple of years to keep the atoll’s ecosystem as healthy and stable as possible through their reef conservation projects and shark and sea turtle tagging programs.
Hayley Versace (BSc), Hope Spot Champion and Project Manager of Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative (CICI) explains, “I only want the best for our neighboring communities. It seems they have been abandoned by their government and the rest of the world in regards to global climate change and access to reliable resources. Becoming a Hope Spot will help us to manage the ocean’s natural resources for the future. This will be for the betterment of our neighbors and surrounding oceans as a whole. The ocean has given me so much over my lifetime, it is time I start giving something back.”
Grassroots conservation work
Ian Gowrie-Smith, owner of the Conflict Islands and CEO of CICI says, “Buying the islands brought with it the opportunity and responsibility to protect them and their surroundings. CICI was founded to address this formidable challenge given local and external pressures.”
Conflict Islands' coral reefs are some of the last remaining stable reefs in the world. This atoll has the potential to maintain and sustain a richly diverse marine ecosystem. Through continued education and awareness, we can create a healthy future for marine life – and humans – who are facing what might be the biggest global challenges that come along with a warming planet.
About Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative
The work of the Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative (CICI) began in 2017 and was established as a charitable trust in 2018 to garner financial, human and other support to protect and conserve the natural environment of the Conflict Islands group and its surrounding and connected marine habitat.
Realizing that the Conflict Islands are a pristine coral reef habitat with many endangered species relying on its persistence, atoll custodian Ian Gowrie-Smith set out to protect and conserve this ecologically important ecosystem. The continuing environmental crisis, including anthropogenic climate change and the unregulated, illegal harvesting of endangered turtles and sharks, led Gowrie-Smith to conclude that ”Doing nothing is simply no longer an option!”.
Our goals call for sustainable ecological and economic conservation and management arising from a concerted and passionate effort from all our affiliates and partners. CICI plans to become a world-renowned conservation organization by establishing itself as a registered charity and registered environmental organization. To protect, conserve and enhance the natural environment, habitats and species of the Coral Sea with a particular emphasis on the area within and around the Conflict Islands Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the roles this region plays in its connectedness to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) through our joint sharing of the Coral Sea.
If you want to be a part of this movement, you can volunteer to assist with their Turtle Monitoring, Coral Reef and Fish, Coral Gardening and Shark and Ray Monitoring Programs. To apply head to www.cici.net.au/volunteer , all you need is a passion for marine conservation.
