My name is Naomi Longa. I come from a mixed parentage of West New Britain and Manus provinces.
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Papua New Guinea and I have been the Director of Sea Women of Melanesia Training Program at the Coral Sea Foundation Organisation since November 2018.
I became a scuba dive instructor during this time and have helped train women in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. I have also been actively involved in the reef survey, training and community engagement activities in Kimbe and Manus (West Coast) during this pandemic period.
I am looking forward to training more women in the near future and build a network of young women in coastal areas of Kimbe and Manus to be actively involved in marine conservation work in their local communities.
Together with training these young women, I am currently also talking to local community leaders to set up marine reserves for their coastal areas. These reserves will ensure that as populations increase, fish and other seafood aren’t wiped out. I think it is very important that people set up reserves to protect their future food sources.