Tenkile Conservation Alliance: Saving Papua New Guinea's Rarest Tree Kangaroo

The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) was founded in 2001 in Lumi, Sandaun Province, after researchers found as few as 100 tenkile tree kangaroos (Scott's tree-kangaroo) left in the wild, a species found nowhere outside the Torricelli Mountain Range. TCA convinced landowning communities to adopt a hunting moratorium in 1999, and in exchange built alternative protein sources such as fish farms and rabbit-raising, plus water tanks, toilets, and environmental education across dozens of villages. The tenkile population has since grown to over 300 individuals, and TCA now manages the wider Torricelli Mountain Range Conservation Area, one of Papua New Guinea's largest community-declared protected areas. The group also trains local rangers for biodiversity monitoring and supports village food security through rice and millet programs.