Australian Wins Top Conservation Award
22 March 2010
Victorian, Jean Thomas has received the highly acclaimed Future
for Nature award.
Victorian, Jean Thomas has received the highly acclaimed Future for Nature award
for her work conserving endangered tree kangaroos in a remote area
of Papua New Guinea.
Working with her husband Jim Thomas on the conservation activity
for the past seven years with the Tenkile Conservation Alliance
(TCA) as a volunteer with Australian Volunteers International
(AVI), Jean was selected from more than 1000 nominees for this
prestigious award.. This work that has received significant support
through the Australian Government through its international aid
agency, AusAID.
Renowned conservationist Sir David Attenborough presented the
award at Bergers Zoo in Amsterdam last Friday.
The dedication of the 38-year-olds work with local villagers
based in the Torricelli Mountains of PNG's Sandaun Province to
implement conservation, educational and training programs was
recognised by an international panel of experts in conservation and
sustainable development.
A bilinguist, Jean has developed and written training manuals in
Pidgin English that have allowed communities in PNG to learn and
teach others about conservation and sustainable living programs
including natural resource management.
Her work with local women and children on health issues has also
seen a dramatic reduction in a range of childhood diseases.
The initial objective of Jean's role was to connect with
communities throughout the Torricelli Mountains to raise awareness
of the plight of two endangered mammals, the Scott's Tree Kangaroo
(Dendrolagus scottae) or Tenkile and the Golden-Mantled Tree
Kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) or Weimang.
Her scientific and teaching background enabled her to achieve
much more and after seven years Jean's work and dedication to the
TCA has been recognised.
For the next two years, Jean will embark on a large scale water
and sanitation project funded by the European Union, while
continuing to implement her successful conservation education
programs to schools, teachers and village communities.
Fact Sheet
• The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) is a non-government
organisation based in Papua New Guinea since 2001. Under the
direction of Australian Project Managers Jim and Jean Thomas, the
TCA has implemented many projects including research, conservation
and sustainable livelihood projects.
• TCA's work involves establishing alternative protein sources
in the form of rabbit and chicken farming to alleviate hunting
pressure on the local wildlife. Other community development
projects include gardening, water and sanitation projects and
HIV/AIDS.
• Jim and Jean Thomas are also volunteers with Australian
Volunteers International (AVI). AVI has placed 1351 volunteers in
Papua New Guinea since 1964.
• The Tenkile, or Scott's Tree Kangaroo, was discovered by
Professor Tim Flannery in the Torricelli Mountain Range in 1989.
The rarity of the species led to the establishment of the Tenkile
Conservation Alliance.
• Professor Tim Flannery refereed Jean for the Future for Nature
Award.
• Jean studied her first year of Science at La Trobe University
and completed her degree along with a Diploma of Education at the
University of Melbourne.
• The rainforests in the Torricelli Mountain range are home to
three species of Tree Kangaroo:- the Tenkile, Weimang or
Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo and Grizzled Tree Kangaroo. There is
no other mountain range in the world that has three species of tree
kangaroos co-existing.
• The TCA's goal, to protect biodiversity within the Torricelli
Mountain Range, is now widely recognised locally, nationally, and
internationally and has been described by Professor Tim Flannery as
"the best conservation - based NGO in Papua New Guinea."
• When Jean is not living in Papua New Guinea, she returns with
Jim and son Tadji to the tranquility of their bush block in the
Upper Yarra Valley.
• The Tenkile Conservation Alliance is proudly sponsored by Zoos
Victoria and AVI.
• Various project funding has been granted through Zoos
Victoria, AVI, Rufford Small Grants for Conservation (RSG), the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Rural Water Supply and
Sanitation Program (RWSSP - Eur
For more information contact:
Jim and Jean Thomas
Tenkile Conservation Alliance
Australian Mobile:+ (61) 0439 433 905 (Before March 30th)
PNG mobile: + (675) 7651 3448 (After March 30th)
Email: tenkileconservationalliance@yahoo.com.au
Website: www.tenkile.com