Our partnership with Barrick Gold is focused on supporting biodiversity conservation in priority landscapes and wilderness areas where their operations are focused.

Barrick Gold is working with CI and Montclair State University (MSU) to establish the Mt. Kaijende Conservation Area in central Papua New Guinea (PNG). We are working to engage local stakeholders to design a large upland wilderness conservation area ranging from Mt Kumbepara and Mt Kaijende southward to the Doma Peaks. This would engage all local landowning clans in the active conservation of the most significant highlands wilderness in PNG – and an area of global significance.

CI has completed two Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expeditions sponsored by Barrick Gold. The first, in 2005, was to survey to the Kaijende Highlands of the Enga Province in PNG to document the proposed Mt. Kaijende Conservation Area’s endemic plants and animals. The RAP team documented 643 species which included at least 16 species of plants and eight species of frogs that are potentially new to science.

The second RAP expedition in 2008 was to survey the Kaijende highlands and Hewa wilderness of PNG. CI was joined by other scientists from the University of British Columbia’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum and MSU.  MSU anthropologist Dr. William Thomas worked with the local Hewa clans to document the natural history and local knowledge of these resources as part of the "Forest Stewards" project, an initiative started by Dr. Thomas and CI’s Dr. Bruce Beehler. During the survey more than 600 species were documented over a number of different taxonomic groups including; amphibians, mammals, birds, reptiles, plants, and invertebrates.

For more information on Barrick Gold, please visit www.barrick.com.