Kamiali

Kamiali Wildlife Management Area is a community-managed coastal area on the Huon Gulf in Morobe Province, registered as a wildlife management area in 1996. It takes in rainforest, mangroves, rivers, lakes and coral reefs and is an important nesting beach for leatherback turtles between November and March.

Endangered leatherback turtles nest on the beach between November and March. The area also offers bird watching and reef snorkelling^[1].

The area spans rainforest and mangrove habitats along the coast.

The area stretches along the Huon Gulf coast, from the shoreline and reefs inland into forested hills.

The coast is tropical, and the turtle nesting season runs from November to March.

Kamiali is centred on Lababia village in Huon Gulf, Morobe Province, and the community runs the area^[1].

The eco-tourism centre was established in 1997^[1].

Activities include hiking, bird watching and snorkelling on the reefs, and villagers perform dances and sell crafts to visitors. Kamiali runs a leatherback turtle monitoring project^[1].

The area is about 60 km from Lae. A cruise ship has reached the village by sea, one of 15 visits since 1997^[1].

The area runs a leatherback turtle monitoring project and offers wildlife research programmes alongside eco-tourism^[1].