Tawaki Coconut Plantation, Wakapi, Gauwe and Popar Megalith Stones
Tawaki Coconut Plantation, Wakapi, Gauwe, and Popar Megalith Stones represent a unique historical landscape in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, highlighting the region's early human settlement and its role in the Pacific Islands’ human labor trade. The site also marks a significant chapter in the decolonization of the country, being a key economic activity site for Indigenous communities leading up to Papua New Guinea's independence in 1975. It serves as an early agricultural knowledge hub for the Bebeli-speaking people, shaping the livelihoods and adaptation systems in the area. Climate change is threatening this site, with rising sea levels and migration inflows putting pressure on the natural landscape. To combat this, efforts are underway to create a community sustainability plan, preserving the area as both a cultural and learning environment. By participating in Preserving Legacies, the goal is to foster dialogue, strengthen community-driven solutions, and support the revitalization of linguistic and climate change knowledge systems, ensuring sustainable management and the protection of this vital heritage.
Meet the Site Custodians
Bernard Kondi
