In the heart of Papua New Guinea's West New Britain Province lies Kimbe Bay—a place of staggering beauty and biodiversity. Home to the second-highest number of coral reef species in the world, the bay is a global treasure. But this vibrant marine ecosystem is under siege, facing mounting pressure from industrial pollution, climate change, and unsustainable resource use.
In response, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway—led by local women, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), with support from the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, the Joint SDG Fund in collaboration with the Government of Papua New Guinea, and fueled by the resilience of communities who refuse to let their paradise vanish.
At the center of this story is Agartha Buku, a determined entrepreneur and environmental steward. Through her enterprise, Kukuni Na Dari, Agartha is helping rewrite the future of Kimbe Bay—not with grand gestures, but with seaweed. Kukuni Na Dari is one of several businesses supported by the programme "Gutpela Solwara, Gutpela Bisnis" (Good Ocean, Good Business).
The initiative empowers micro-, small-, and medium-sized blue enterprises that are not only driving economic change, but also actively preserving the bay’s precious ecosystems. Importantly, every one of these enterprises is led by local women—proving that environmental sustainability and gender equality go hand-in-hand. Agartha’s work in seaweed farming offers both ecological and social benefits.
Seaweed helps purify the water, reduce carbon, and support marine life— including the reef systems that are crucial to Kimbe Bay’s biodiversity. But it also provides meaningful, sustainable livelihoods for local women and youth who once relied heavily on fishing.
“Seaweed farming helps the environment, and it helps our people,” Agartha says. “It gives women independence, youth a future, and the ocean a chance to heal.” Her story is one of hope, rooted in deep love for the sea and her community. It’s also a powerful reminder that the fight to save the planet’s most precious places often begins with one person’s vision—and grows, strand by strand, into a movement.
Watch the full story here and learn how local action is protecting a global treasure.
