FROM THE FIELD: Saving the tree kangaroos of Papua New Guinea

Bruce Beehler In Papua New Guinea, local communities and conservation groups are fighting to save the tree kangaroo. (file August 2010)

This article is brought to you in association with the United Nations.

The survival of an endangered animal which looks part kangaroo and part lemur has been secured thanks to a project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The tree kangaroo which is only found in the rainforests of Australia, West Papua, and PNG is threatened due to hunting and habitat destruction.

But now the local and indigenous people of PNG, who typically hunted the marsupial, are acting as custodians of the ancient rainforests by promoting the sustainable use of the land and the management of what is now a conservation area.

Ahead of International day for Biological Diversity marked on 22 May, read more here about how the tree kangaroo is being protected by the people.