Coral farming as means of sustaining livelihoods and promoting resource management

With the ongoing transition between the barter and the cash economy in Papua New Guinea (PNG), traditional resource production and exploitation must adapt to the changing markets. The increasing demands for goods and services have resulted in coastal and marine resources in PNG showing signs of overexploitation. Andra Island in Manus Province is one of many islands whose inhabitants are highly dependent on the sea for sustenance and livelihoods. Ecological studies by the Wildlife Conservation Society have revealed that the surrounding reefs are denuded of branching Acropora corals compared with similar sites in Manus and elsewhere. This is likely to be due to the island’s economic dependence on the harvest of Acropora corals for the coral lime trade. Lime (calcium hydroxide) is chewed with betelnut (Areca catechu) throughout most coastal regions of PNG, and Andra has a monopoly on the lime trade in Manus. A coral farming project was implemented with the aim of providing a sustainable means of maintaining the coral lime trade. Unlike other coral farming projects in the Pacific, this project operates completely at the local scale and is not reliant on overseas markets; nor does it face the logistical challenges of the aquarium trade. We assess here the degree to which the coral farming activities contribute to livelihoods while relieving extractive pressure on reefs. The project has potential to expand throughout other regions of PNG where corals are harvested for lime