AI is being used to save pygmy seahorses and whale sharks in Papua New Guinea’s Coral Triangle

Papua New Guinea’s Naomi Longa has been awarded a 2024 Whitley Award for leading an all-female team of conservationists to monitor and manage coral reefs in Kimbe Bay.

By Daniel Graham

Published: Wednesday, 01 May 2024 at 19:45 PM

The Coral Triangle spans six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea – and is home to 6,000 coral reef fish species. The region provides food and livelihoods for more than 120 million people.

Kimbe Bay, a globally significant marine ecosystem that sits within the Coral Triangle is threatened by climate change, overfishing and habitat destruction.

Now, Naomi Longa, a biologist and co-director of Sea Women of Melanesia, plans to tackle these threats by using AI to create a network of marine protected areas with local Indigenous women in Kimbe Bay.

Longa’s work has been recognised by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), who have presented the biologist with a 2024 Whitley Award – an honour that recognises and celebrates grassroots conservation leaders.

Sea Women of Melanesia

Kimbe Bay lies in the West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea and is home to reef fish ranging from pygmy seahorses to whale sharks. Credit: Naomi Longa

Papua New Guinea coral reef — Effective marine conservation has historically been hindered by Papua New Guinea’s socio-political challenges. Longa plans to address that with her women-led conservation model as she creates a potential blueprint for the region. Credit: Naomi Longa

Naomi Longa doing fieldwork in Papua New Guinea — Longa’s team of divers and snorkelers has collected more than 15,000 reef survey images and provided 2,500 for analysis to ReefCloud, an open-source platform that uses machine learning and advanced analysis to rapidly extract and share data from images with the world’s coral reef monitoring community. Credit: Naomi Longa

Naomi Longa in Papua New Guinea — This use of AI allows for swift assessments of coral health and coral community composition, returning results within a few hours of images being uploaded, instead of days or weeks to get similar results from human analysis. Credit: Naomi Longa

Naomi Longa and her team in Papua New Guinea — Sea Women of Melanesia can then accelerate applications for marine protected areas to the Papua New Guinea government on behalf of partner villages. Naomi’s team manages about 20 Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA), for which government approval is required, with plans to add four more with Whitley Award funding to build out a network around Kimbe Bay. Credit: Naomi Longa

Longa’s team is also working closely with developers from ReefCloud at the Australian Institute of Marine Science to incorporate it into emerging reef monitoring protocols for Pacific Nations, blending cutting-edge AI technology with traditional cultural and ecological wisdom.

With funding from the Whitley Award, Longa aims to deepen collaboration with five coastal communities, combining traditional knowledge with western science to establish a network of Locally Managed Marine Areas spanning 1,268 hectares. These initiatives will advance sustainable fisheries management, habitat restoration, wildlife recovery and climate change resilience. Longa intends to involve and train ten women from five local villages, equipping them to monitor the reefs primarily through snorkelling and scuba diving.

Longa emphasises that her approach is grounded in understanding and respect for cultural norms, while also advocating for gender equality and the empowerment of women. In Papua New Guinea, many women have limited involvement in decision-making processes despite their eagerness to contribute to conservation efforts.

Created in 2021 with a team of 10 women, the Sea Women of Melanesia has rapidly expanded and today has 85 members.

Find out more about Naomi Longa and the 2024 Whitley Awards.

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