The UK charity the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is recognising Naomi Longa from Papua New Guinea to expand her work to monitor and manage coral reefs in the biodiversity hotspot of Kimbe Bay and to further extend her female-driven marine conservation model in local waters of the Coral Triangle, home to 76% of the world’s coral reef species.

The biologist and co-director of the NGO Sea Women of Melanesia will create a network of marine protected areas with local indigenous women in Kimbe Bay, a globally significant marine ecosystem within the Coral Triangle that is threatened by climate change, overfishing and habitat destruction.

“Winning the Whitley Award is an incredible honour and a validation of my work in protecting the globally significant coral reefs of my country,” said Naomi Longa. The Coral Triangle spans six countries, is home to 6,000 coral reef fish species and provides food and livelihoods for more than 120 million people.

Charity Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, presented the £50,000 Whitley Award last night at the Royal Geographical Society in a ceremony that marked three decades since the very first Whitley Award was presented and 25 years since the Princess’ involvement as Patron. The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK charity supporting grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. Over 30 years it has channelled £23 million to more than 200 conservationists across 80 countries.

Sir David Attenborough, WFN Ambassador and a long-term supporter of the charity, said the growing network of winners represent some of the best conservation leaders in the world: “Whitley Award winners combine knowing how to respond to crises yet also bring communities and wider audiences with them.”

Kimbe Bay lies in the West New Britain Province of the southwestern Pacific country and is home to reef fish ranging from pygmy seahorses to whale sharks. Internationally recognized as a “hope spot” within the Coral Triangle, it counts 900 species of coral reef fish and some of the world’s most picturesque dive sites, making it a popular tourist destination.

Effective marine conservation has historically been hindered by Papua New Guinea’s socio-political challenges. Naomi plans to address that with her women-led conservation model as she creates a potential blueprint for the region. The Coral Triangle includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

Coral reefs, which play a crucial role in safeguarding coastal communities from erosion and storm surges, are one of the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Warmer waters are leading to more bleaching events. Fishing practices involving the use of dynamite and cyanide which destroys the reefs – leaving empty craters – and stuns fish making them easy to capture, have contributed to overfishing. Pollution and coastal development are further degrading ecosystems.

In the most comprehensive data on coral and reef conditions from the Papua New Guinea waters of the Coral Triangle, Naomi’s team of divers and snorkellers 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.

This allows for rapid assessments of coral health and coral community composition, returning results within a few hours of images being uploaded to the system instead of days or weeks to get similar results from human analysis. Sea Women of Melanesia to accelerate the process of submitting marine protected area applications to the Papua New Guinea government on behalf of partner villages. Naomi’s team manages about 20 LMMAs – Locally Managed Marine Areas, for which government approval is required, with plans to add four more with Whitley Award funding to build out a network around Kimbe Bay.

Naomi’s team is also collaborating with ReefCloud developers at the Australian Institute of Marine Science to integrate it into new reef monitoring protocols for Pacific Nations that blend the latest AI technology with traditional cultural and ecological knowledge.

With her Whitley Award funding, Naomi plans to deepen engagement with five coastal communities and combine traditional knowledge with western science to create a network of LMMAs spanning 1,268 hectares. These will promote sustainable fisheries management, habitat restoration, wildlife recovery and climate change resilience. Naomi will engage and train ten women in five local villages to enable them to monitor the reefs primarily through snorkelling and scuba diving.

Naomi says she is rooting her work in understanding and respect for the cultural norm while advocating for gender equality and empowerment of women. Many women in PNG have limited access to decision making processes though are keen to be involved in conservation. Seawomen of Melanesia have created a programme that is flexible, to accommodate household responsibilities and duties, while having proven success in marine ecosystem recovery and the sustainable management of marine resources.

The Sea Women of Melanesia currently has 85 members and Naomi Longa, a native of the primary hub of Kimbe, says the active involvement of local women who possess deep connections to the coral reefs and are dedicated to safeguarding their communities’ natural resources sets her organisation apart from others. “It is important to work with the local communities and women because they possess deep connections and traditional knowledge of the marine ecosystem,” commented Naomi Longa.

The NGO was created in 2021 and what started as a team of 10 women has expanded rapidly amid widespread recognition among local women of the changes occurring on the coral reef and a strong desire to protect them. The Seawomen of Melanesia has responded to demand by providing continuous mentorship and skills development to empower the women to take leadership roles in their communities.