Papua New Guinea is one of eighteen megadiverse countries in the world, containing more than 7% of the world’s biodiversity in less than 1% of the world’s land area. This includes over 18,000 described plant species, 719 birds, 271 mammals, 227 reptiles, 266 amphibians, 341 freshwater fish species, 600 species of coral and 3000 species of reef fish.
In addition to biodiversity, Papua New Guinea has significant cultural diversity, with more than 800 languages and 96% of the land still being held under customary ownership.
The biodiversity of Papua New Guinea is threatened by a rapidly growing population and resource development, including forestry, agriculture, fisheries, mining and petroleum.
Protected Areas in Papua New Guinea cover 3.69% of terrestrial area and 0.14% of marine area. These protected areas fall into IUCN management categories III and IV.
