Air Niugini commemorated World Environment Day (WED) on June 5th by joining The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in the mangrove rehabilitation program at Dogura beach, outside 6-mile in Port Moresby. Acting Chief Executive Officer, Gary Seddon and 12 airline staff, according to a statement, participated in the program. Together with staff from a few other organizations, school children, youths and people from Dogura community, they commenced by clearing rubbish from the beachfront, followed by planting up to 4000 mangrove seedlings. Seddon and TNC PNG Program Country Director, Ruth Konia jointly launched the mangrove rehabilitation program, emphasizing this year’s WED theme: ‘Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience’. In his remarks, Mr Seddon said Dogura beach is adjacent to Port Moresby International Airport, adding that air travel and the burning of aviation fuel contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions (GGE). “It is important for ANL to contribute to the Nature Conservancy in its conservation efforts, through the mangrove restoration program.” He spoke about the importance of mangrove forests and how everyone can play a part towards protecting and preserving the environment for our future generations. “Mangrove forests are important for many reasons including carbon sequestration – they are the most significant means of carbon dioxide absorption on earth, coastal protection, and bio-diversity conservation as a means of protecting wildlife, flora and fauna.” Additionally, Air Niugini is looking forward to continuing to support Nature Conservancy in restoring and preserving the mangrove forests. Furthermore, Konia discussed human activities that destroy mangrove forests over the years. “Apart from providing habitat for bio-diversity, the mangrove forests also provide food, medicine and shelter from strong winds as well as protects from the rising sea level.” Meanwhile World Environment Day is celebrated on the 5th of June every year and focuses on creating awareness and taking positive action about the environment.