Redley Opasa
Redley Opasa is an ecologist who majors in forestry science (ecology and entomology) and also agricultural science. He is currently the postgraduate coordinator of the postgraduate training program at the New Guinea Binatang Research Center in Papua New Guinea. NGBRC is an NGO leading in ecology science and biological researches in the country and actively promoting education and training in that area.
His area of profession is in tropical forest ecology and entomology research including agricultural research, plant protection, training and outreach. He has special interests in biostatistics, conservation and community empowerment and climate change mitigation and also soil sciences. Redley has shown to any ordinary Papua New Guineans that success in education comes from determination, patience, perseverance and hard work. Having little hope after been a drop out from grade twelve at Aiyura National High School, he pursued matriculation while getting employed as a laborer with the Coffee Research Institute for two years. He got his break to do a Certificate in Tropical Agriculture at Sonoma Adventist College that is a campus to the Pacific Adventist University. He followed through with attaining a Diploma in Tropical Agriculture and got employed as a research technician with the PNG National Agriculture Research Institute. It was with NARI that he developed passion for research and entomology basically around plant protection. After a short stint with NARI, he pursued for degree qualification with the PNG University of Technology. Attaining a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science, he further continued on with postgraduate program and got his Masters in Agricultural Science. His passion for entomology got him to commit to another Masters of Philosophy degree again in Forestry Science basically studying ecology and entomology from the PNG University of Technology under the auspices of NGBRC.
Redley’s passion for learning and empowerment has provided him with opportunities to be actively involved in efforts assisting postgraduate student’s researches and training, undergraduate student industrial attachment training, community leaders and rangers empowerment and trainings including major experiences with the area of terrestrial biodiversity monitoring and research training for conservation communities in the East Melanesian Island biodiversity hotspot (PNG component) under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. As ambitious as he is for biodiversity conservation and for learning and capacity building, he believes in the theme: “better empower oneself to be adequately positioned to reach out and help others” and “caring for biodiversity is caring for life on earth”.
