Conservation champions: Meet Susan
When it comes to restoring the largely community-owned coral and mangrove ecosystems of Papua New Guinea, the leadership of local champions is critical for success.
Susan in her greenhouse ©Lauren Hodgson
When Susan isn’t training as a semi-professional boxer, she’s fighting for nature—leading mangrove conservation in her community in Yule Island, Papua New Guinea. As part of this, Susan has set up a greenhouse where she diligently cares for mangrove saplings. When they are ready for planting, she also constructs protective planters to shield growing saplings from wave action.
Mangroves are the ultimate nature-based solution, and having people like Susan leading these efforts are critical to their success:
Mangroves protect against coastal erosion
They capture and store carbon in their roots and soils
Serve as nurseries for fish and support food and income needs for communities.
And so much more—proving that when nature thrives, communities do too.
Susan also leads the coral restoration efforts in her community and is inspiring others to get involved. Watch her in action in the ABC series, Common Cause.
When thinking about the impact of this work on her community Susan reflects that “It allows us to do something bigger than us. Our next generation will have more fish, our homes are protected from the ocean, we have food on the table and income from our chickens. The work we are doing is for the community, not ourselves, so people can respect and save our environment and our future.”
Susan’s role leading these efforts is creating an impact in itself. As a young woman in a leadership position Susan is helping positively shift gender norms and roles in Papua New Guinea. Susan is representing and acting as role models for women and girls, while also demonstrating the capacity and leadership of women to their male counterparts.
Susan’s work is supported by Kyeema Foundation and Corals for Conservation and is part of Climate Resilient by Nature, an Australian Government initiative in partnership with WWF-Australia. Learn more about the project here.
Related reading
