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| A traditional contract was established between the Dawang Clan in Mur village of Rai Coast District, Madang Province, and MAKATA to support their adaptive sustainable community-based resource management plan using Conservation Deed. We have completed most of the steps of this plan, with a few issues to resolve before launching it. Any funding support will help us achieve this outcome. |
By WENCESLAUS MAGUN
At MAKATA, we believe that by working in partnership with relevant stakeholders, even if it is painstakingly slow, we can achieve biodiversity conservation or adaptive sustainable resource management and use process in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
But we cannot achieve this on our own. We need your help!
Through your in-kind donation, funding support, and or other forms of material, technical, logistics, and even spiritual support, we all can achieve these commonly shared values.
With this help, we can also contribute to influencing communities we work with to take on overall development planning processes to achieve PNG V2050 through its PNG DSP 2010-2030 thus working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the multinational agreements PNG has signed and ratified.
So what are these international obligations that PNG has signed and ratified?
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| Tokain community members at Kagur hamlet during the sand mining Warden Hearing on 23 September 2020. |
The Rio Declaration is a statement of 27 principles that the States agreed to implement at the domestic level in dealing with environmental and development issues. (PNGBSAP, Work Draft 1, September 2005).
1. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);
2. The Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC); and
3. Agenda 21 (PNGBSAP, Work Draft 1, September 2005).
The adoption of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) and other treaties and the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, the Forest Principles, the Johannesburg Declaration and the Johannesburg Plan of implementation (JPOI) by PNG manifests the country’s willingness to join hands with the global community in tackling many of the world’s environmental problems. By international standards, PNG has shown strong enthusiasm in the field of international environmental law–making (PNGBSAP, Work Draft 1, September 2005).
PNG’s obligations in relation to three United Nations multilateral environmental agreements, and progress towards meeting these obligations, were assessed in 2010 (Wickham et al., 2010).
These are the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Convention
on Combating Desertification, and the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
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| Kimadi clan members of Murukanam village, Sumgilbar LLG, Sumkar District, Madang stood in absolute solidarity in defending their natural resources and the environment from any of the potential threat from sand mining. |
In addition, PNG is a signatory to the International Convention on
Wetlands (Ramsar) and the Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World
Heritage Convention) since 1997.
World Heritage Sites are places that have outstanding universal values, either natural or cultural or both. To be accepted as World Heritage sites, they must be nominated by the Government of PNG and then assessed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
When sites are inscribed on the World list, countries commit to undertaking “the appropriate legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of this heritage” (UNESCO), 1972, p.3).
There is currently one existing World Heritage Area in PNG, Kuk Swamp in the Western Highlands Province, while another seven proposed areas are on the “tentative” list.
PNG is also a signatory to the Convention on the Protection of Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region (PNRESP). As a signatory to this Convention, PNG is required to protect and preserve rare or fragile ecosystems and depleted, threatened or endangered flora and fauna, as well as their habitat (Article 14). As part of this obligation, PNG must establish and effectively manage protected areas.
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| We thank the Bismarck Ramu Group (BRG), one of our local NGO partners for conducting sand mining awareness at Tokain village, Sumgilbar LLG, Sumkar District, Madang. |
According to PNGBSAP, 2007 report, almost all the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) require corresponding domestic commitment to make the treaty work. “Thus, in the case of CBD, PNG is required to:
- Create a
system of protected areas to conserve biological diversity (Article 8);
- Develop
mechanisms for the prevention and introduction of control or eradication
of alien species which threaten ecosystems (Article 8);
- Develop
systems for the preservation and maintenance of knowledge, innovations and
practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional
lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity and promote their wider application through appropriate legal,
policy and administrative arrangement (Article 8j);
- Protect
and encourage customary use of biological resources in accordance with
traditional and cultural practices (Article 10);
- Develop
incentives measures for the sustainable use and management of the
countries biological resources (Article 11);
- Promote
research and training (Article 12);
- Promote
and strengthen public education and training in biological resources
management (Article 13);
- Introduce
mechanisms to strengthen impact assessment and minimizing adverse impacts
on the country’s biological diversity (Article 14);
- Develop
strategies that promote access to genetic resources (Article 15);
- Identify
and strengthen strategies to access and transfer technology (Article 16);
- Introduce
legislative, administrative or policy measures to regulate and manage
biotechnology research and benefit sharing (Article 19); and
- Strengthen
partnerships to promote access to financial resources (Article 20 and
21).”
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| Mirap villagers joined the rest of the villagers in Sumgilbar LLG to ban sand mining along their turtles nesting beaches. |
The report added that: “Most of the JPOI goals trace their origins to the Millennium Declaration of 2000.
It was perceived that the
implementation of JPOI will also lead to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Amongst eight other goals is: Goal 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability.”
These sets of international environmental obligations require concerted and affirmative action by national States to achieve them.
Our work aims to translate some of these international commitments into domestic action. This truly requires working in partnership with all relevant stakeholders in PNG as well as by nation States that have made these commitments.
We know from more than 10 years of working with local communities in Madang, that there is very little to show for PNG’s active participation at the UNCED in Rio and its membership to relevant MEA and other international conventions at the domestic level.
In PNG we are faced with a paradox or a dilemma.
On one end we strive to fulfill our international environmental obligations through appropriate biodiversity conservation and sustainable development aspirations. Yet, on another end, we are forced to exploit our natural resources to fulfill our Vision 2050 through the PNG Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030.
In order to fulfill the V2050 and PNGDSP 2010-2030 goal to attain a “high quality of life for all Papua New Guineans,” we are vigorously exploiting our country’s biological and mineral resources for economic growth.
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