National Sustainable Land Use Policy for Papua New Guinea

41 .1,1> .........:. '--~ .= :--= --= -----= -- . .. .. ::-==---.::. D E P A R T M E N T O F LA N D S & P H Y S IC A L P LA N N IN G P .O .B O X 5665 , B O R O K O N A T IO N A L C A P IT A L D IS T R IC T P hone : + 6753013159 F ax : + 675 3013219 E m a il:jam esg@ lands .gov .pg mailto:Email:jamesg@lands.gov.pg MINISTER'S STATEMENT It g ives m e grea t p leasure to re lease th is D iscuss ion P aper on the N ationa l S usta inab le Land U se P o licy (N S LU P ). A s the M in is te r fo r Lands and P hysica l P lann ing , m y responsib ility is tw o fo lios; as M in is te r fo r P hys ica l P lann ing , the pow ers ava ilab le to m e are fa r b roader and extens ive in the ir im pacts than those ava ilab le to Lands. P hys ica l P lann ing , th rough its leg is la tion , covers the w ho le na tion ; the Land A ct genera lly p rov ides fo r 3 -4% of the a liena ted stock o f land to be adm in is te red under its p rov is ions. P apua N ew G uinea has a to ta l land area o f 462 840 000 square k ilom eters and a to ta l sea area o f 3 120 000 kilom eters w ith abundant land and land resources w h ich is capab le o f supporting a h igh standard o f liv ing fo r the sm all popu la tion . The resources ava ilab le to the peop le o f the country are fin ite and there fo re shou ld be used susta inab ly to benefit the presen t and fu tu re genera tions. O ne of the m ost im portan t facto rs o f p roduction in P apua N ew G uinea is land . A ll the resources both renew ab le and non-renew ab le evo lve from the land . The S ta te ow ns and contro ls over 3% of the land w h ile the rest 97% is ow ned and contro lled by the custom ary landow ners o f P apua N ew G uinea . P lann ing fo r land outs ide the sta te land (custom ary land) has been a m ajor cha llenge desp ite the ex is tence o f the P hysica l P lann ing A ct. There fo re , one of the m ajo r em phases o f the N ationa l S usta inab le Land use P o licy is to re lease custom ary land fo r deve lopm ent purpose th rough p lann ing the use of land in ru ra l and urban areas. G iven the lim ited supp ly o f s ta te land to fac ilita te deve lopm ent and the need to un lock po ten tia l custom ary land , the governm ent recogn izes the need fo r an over-a rch ing po licy fram ew ork tha t w ill gu ide the p lanned a lloca tion , deve lopm ent, m anagem ent and best use o f land and land resources in P apua N ew G uinea . Fo llow ing from the successfu l launch ing o f the hom e grow n land re fo rm program in troduced by the G overnm ent to free up custom ary land fo r deve lopm ent purposes, and thus th is po licy docum ent w ill ass is t in the p lanned a lloca tion , deve lopm ent, m anagem ent and best use o f land in P apua N ew G uinea . The sh ift in parad igm from short to m ed ium and long te rm p lann ing as a resu lt o f h igher order po lic ies such as the N ationa l C onstitu tion , V is ion 2050, D eve lopm ent S tra teg ic P lan 2010-2030 and N ationa l U rban iza tion P o licy has crea ted the necessary environm ent to in troduce the N ationa l S usta inab le Land U se P o licy . The fram ew ork estab lished by the po licy shou ld gu ide the w ay how w e w ou ld m anage and use the land and its resources. The journey to ach ieve the goa l o f N S LU P w ill have m any obstac les and cha llenges fo r us a ll bu t it is critica l tha t w e sta rt to m ove fo rw ard a t th is critica l tim e in P N G 's deve lopm ent. The re lease o f th is D iscuss ion P aper is the firs t s tep in the consu lta tion process fo r deve lopm ent o f the po licy . It has g iven the opportun ity fo r a w ide range of s takeho lders and the genera l pub lic to prov ide the ir inpu t on the requ irem ents to be captu red in the po licy fo r susta inab le land use in the country . Th is D iscuss ion P aper prov ides the opportun ity fo r a ll s takeho lders to critica lly rev iew the exis ting system s of p lann ing and prov ide w ays and m eans though w h ich the system can be im proved to m eet the requ irem ents in p lann ing fo r the be tte r use o f land in the country . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Pagei The outcome of the input from the stakeholders will enable the Department of Lands and Physical Planning to identify appropriate management agencies, procedures and the best means of achieving the best use of land and land resources in the country for the benefit of the present and future generations of Papua New Guinea. I look forward to a robust discussion about the issues and ideas it raises and the lessons to be learned from previous experience in planning the land sustainably in Papua New Guinea. Han. Benny Allen Minister for Landsand PhysicalPlanning National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Pageii SECRETARY'S STATEMENT I am pleased to in troduce th is D iscussion Paper o f the Nationa l Susta inab le Land Use Policy for Papua New Guinea. The re lease of th is document is the firs t s tep in the deve lopment o f the po licy. G iven the complex nature of land tenure system and land use in the country, the po licy in itia tive NSLUP was de layed at that tim e to a llow a proper study to be conducted to understand the underly ing complex socio-econom ic and cu ltu ra l issues beh ind the issue of customary land before the formula tion of the Nationa l Susta inab le Land Use Policy. The underly ing prob lem s and issues that NSLUP w ill tack le are by nature are complex socio econom ic prob lem s which requ ires ach ieving invested addressing land use issues in the country and the partic ipa tion of many ind iv idua ls and groups in the socie ty. O ver the years and in line w ith the Physica l P lann ing program for the deve lopment o f the po licy, the Departm ent o f Lands and Physica l P lann ing has undertaken extensive research in understand ing th is phenomenon. Over the years, la rge vo lume of in formation has been compiled in the form of documents, reports and d iscussion papers. The Government's recent focus on long term plann ing to gu ide and shape the fu ture deve lopment o f Papua New Guinea through the in troduction of po lic ies such as the V is ion 2050, Deve lopment S tra teg ic P lan 2010-2030, Nationa l U rban iza tion Policy 2010-2030 and a home grown Land Reform Program targeting the empowerment and partic ipa tion of customary landowners has created the urgent need to gu ide the deve lopment, use, management and a llocation of land to rea lize these deve lopment goa ls in the short, m edium and long term s. The in troduction of these h igher order po lic ies has created an environment conducive to the in troduction and im plementa tion of Nationa l Susta inab le Land Use Policy. Th is paper is re leased to promote d iscussion and comment. I encourage a ll in terested stakeho lders to read it and provide comments to the Departm ent so we can im prove the paper and strengthen the new directions be ing proposed here. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Page iii CHIEF PHYSICAL PLANNER'S COMMENTS T h e c u rre n t p h y s ic a l p la n n in g s y s tem p ro v id e s th e fram ew o rk fo r s p a tia l p la n n in g in P a p u a N ew G u in e a . H ow e v e r ,. th e s p h e re o f in f lu e n c e o f p h y s ic a l p la n n in g h a s b e e n re s tr ic te d to le s s th a n th re e p e rc e n t o f th e la n d d e c la re d a s p h y s ic a l p la n n in g a re a th ro u g h o u t th e c o u n try . T h e p h y s ic a l p la n n in g s y s tem in P a p u a N ew G u in e a is in its in fa n c y o f d e v e lo pm e n t; a s s u c h th e a p p lic a t io n o f th e le g is la t io n h a s b e e n re s tr ic te d to u rb a n a re a s th ro u g h o u t th e c o u n try . T h e fu n c t io n a l re s p o n s ib ilit ie s o f p h y s ic a l p la n n in g in c lu d e ; i. P rom o tin g b e s t u s e o f la n d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a in th e in te re s t o f e a c h c it iz e n s a n d th e e c o n om ic a d v a n c em e n t o f th e c o u n try , ii. F o rm u la t in g a n d o v e r s ig h t in g th e im p lem e n ta t io n o f p o lic ie s in th e fo llo w in g a re a s o f la n d u s e p la n n in g a n d s u b d iv is io n d is c o v e ry a s w e ll a s in fra s tru c tu re n e e d s fo r u rb a n a n d ru ra l a re a s p o p u la t io n s , ii i. S u p e rv is in g a n d p re p a r in g p h y s ic a l p la n s a n d e x e rc is e p la n n in g c o n tro l, a dm in is te r th e p ro v is io n o f p h y s ic a l p la n n in g re g u la t io n s a n d p h y s ic a l p la n n in g b o a rd s . In lig h t o f th e G o v e rnm e n t o f P a p u a N ew G u in e a 's re c e n t d r iv e to b r in g s o c ia l a n d e c o n om ic c h a n g e s g iv e n b y th e e c o n om ic p ro s p e r ity th a t th e c o u n try w ill e x p e r ie n c e from th e e x p lo ita t io n s o f its a b u n d a n c e n a tu ra l re s o u rc e s , th e G o v e rnm e n t h a s fo c u s e d its a tte n t io n in p u tt in g to g e th e r th e n e c e s s a ry p o lic ie s , p la n s a n d s tra te g ie s to e n s u re th e re is s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo pm e n t. P h y s ic a l P la n n in g h a s p la y e d a n im p o r ta n t ro le in a llo c a t io n , u s e a n d m a n a g em e n t o f la n d th ro u g h o u t P N G . T h e m a jo r c h a lle n g e th a t c o n c e rn s p h y s ic a l p la n n in g is th e la n d te n u re s y s tem w h e re m u c h o f th e la n d is c u s tom a ry ow n e d in w h ic h th e s ta te /G o v e rnm e n t th ro u g h th e D e p a r tm e n t o f L a n d s a n d P h y s ic a l P la n n in g c a n n o t p la n th a t la n d b e c a u s e it b e lo n g s to th e lo c a l p e o p le . H ow e v e r , a fte r re g is te r in g th e c u s tom a ry la n d , p h y s ic a l p la n n in g c a n b e u til iz e d in p la n n in g th e u s e , a llo c a t io n , m a n a g em e n t a n d w is e u s e o f th e p o r t io n o f th e la n d th a t w a s re g is te re d . T h e p u rp o s e o f th is p a p e r is to s t im u la te a d is c u s s io n o n th e is s u e s o f la n d u s a g e in P a p u a N ew G u in e a a n d th e d e v e lo pm e n t o f a s tra te g ic N a tio n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U se P la n fo r P a p u a N ew G u in e a . T h e n e e d fo r c om p re h e n s iv e s u s ta in a b le la n d u s e p o lic y is to c le a r from a s im p le c o n s id e ra t io n o f P a p u a N ew G u in e a 's d om e s tic a n d in te rn a t io n a l o b lig a t io n s to p ro te c t a n d s u s ta in la n d a n d its re s o u rc e s fo r fu tu re g e n e ra t io n s a n d a ls o to g iv e e ffe c t to th e in te re s t o f a ll p e o p le re g a rd in g th e ir h e a lth a n d w e lfa re , in p a r t ic u la r th e 4 th G o a l a n d its D ire c t iv e P r in c ip le s o f th e C o n s titu t io n . T h e p a p e r p ro v id e s a n o v e rv ie w o f th e c u rre n t s ta tu s a n d is s u e s fo c u s o f la n d u s e p a tte rn s , d is c u s s in c r it ic a l te rm s th e c u rre n t a p p ro a c h e s o f p o lic y a n d p la n n in g th a t in c lu d e s s u s ta in a b le e c o n om ic d e v e lo pm e n t, fo o d s e c u r ity , b io d iv e rs ity a n d w ild life , d e p le t io n o f f in ite re s o u rc e s , m a n a g em e n t o f b e s t u s e o f la n d th ro u g h id e n tif ic a t io n o f e x is t in g z o n in g National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Pageiv mechanisms, local control of land use management and land tenure conversion that lays the groundwork of the development of NSLUP. The paper does not pretend to have all the answers or to have considered all the issues but has been developed to stimulate discussion and to provide the opportunity for key stakeholders to provide their views as an input to the development of this Government's Policy. I would welcome criticisms to this policy until then, we will realize the impact we endure to the development of the National Sustainable Land Use Policy for Papua New Guinea. Gerisoma James Chief Physical Planner Department of Lands and Physical Planning National Sustainable Land UsePoIicy-2014 Page v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The deve lopm en t o f the Na tiona l Susta inab le Land use Po licy cou ld no t be accom p lished w ithou t the con tribu tions o f m any ind iv idua ls . W ith the perseve rance o f the M in is te r fo r Lands and Phys ica l P lann ing , M r. Benny A llen , a t eve ry ou tse t fo r a PNG S tra teg ic Land Use P lan to de live r the Na tiona l Susta inab le Land Use Po licy tha t th is docum en t was produced . M any ind iv idua ls and organ iza tions worked on success ive Na tiona l Susta inab le Land Use Po licy docum en ts s ince the 1990 's and they have em bedded a lo t o f in fo rm a tion fo r us to s tudy, rev iew and com e up w ith ou r hom e grown Nationa l Susta inab le Land Use Po licy . W e wou ld like to acknow ledge and thank the peop le invo lved in deve lop ing NSLUP , O ffice rs o f the Phys ica l P lann ing D iv is ion espec ia lly the Phys ica l P lann ing Po licy Un it fo r the ir tire less e ffo rts in in itia ting th is m a jo r po licy s ince 2000 , in wh ich a lo t o f research has been conducted . Spec ia l and s ince re thanks to Deve lopm en t P lann ing and Deve lopm en t Assessm en t Un it, the Ch ie f Phys ica l P lanners , the ILG and Custom ary Lands D iv is ions , C orpo ra te Serv ices and the Po licy and Lega l D iv is ions , O ffice o f the Secre ta ry and the Departm en t o f Lands and Phys ica l P lann ing fo r the ir support ove r the years up un til now as th is po licy becom es a rea lity . Spec ia l thank you goes to a ll G overnm en t Departm en ts and S ta te Owned En tities who con tribu te imm ense ly to the deve lopm en t o f the Na tiona l Susta inab le Land Use Po licy . The stakeho lde rs were rep resen ted by the Departm en ta l/O rgan iza tiona l H eads or the ir nom inees; Borde r Deve lopm en t Au tho rity C en tra l P rov inc ia l Adm in is tra tion Departm en t o f Agricu ltu re and L ives tock Departm en t o f commun ity Deve lopm en t Departm en t o f Educa tion Departm en t o f Env ironm en t and Conserva tion Departm en t o f F inance Departm en t o f H ea lth Departm en t o f M ine ra l Po licy and Geohazards Departm en t o f N a tiona l P lann ing and M on ito ring Departm en t o f Persona l M anagem ent Departm en t o f P rim e M in is te r and NEC Departm en t o f P rov inc ia l and Loca l Leve l G overnm en t A ffa irs D epartm en t o f T rade and Industry Departm en t o f T ransport D epartm en t o f T reasu ry Departm en t o f W orks La lok i H igh Schoo l N a tiona l D isas te r C en te r N a tiona l F ishe ries Au tho rity N a tiona l In fo rm a tion and Commun ica tion Techno logy Na tiona l R esearch Ins titu te O ffice o f C lim a te Change and Deve lopm en t O ffice o f U rban iza tion Papua New Gu inea Fores t Au tho rity R abau l Vo lcanoes O bserva to ry W ate r PNG National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Page vi TABLE OF CONTENTS M in ister' s S tatem ent i Secreta ry ' s S tatem ent i i Acknow l edgem ent iii Contents ii i Acronyms vi Defi n itio ns ix Executive Sum mary x 1.0 RA TI 0 NALE •••••••••••••••••••••...•••••••..•••••••.••••.•••.•.•.••••..•••••••••••••.•••.••••.••.••••..••••••••••.•••.•••••••••.•••••••••••1 1.1. V is ion 1 1.2. M ission S tate m ent 1 1.3. Goa I 2 1.4. Policy P ri nci p ies 2 2.0 BACKG ROU ND 3 2.1. CURRENT SITUATION AND ISSUES FOCUS •••.•••••.•.•••.•.•••.•••••.•••••.•••••.•••.•••••.•.•••••••.•••.•.••3 2.1.1 . Agricu Itu re and Livestock 3 2.1.2 . C lim ate Change 5 2.1.3 . M in ing and Petro leu m 6 2 .1.4 . Forestry 7 2.1.5 . N atu ra I D isaste rs 8 2.1.6 . W ate r PNG 8 2.1.7 . T ra nsport In frastructu re , 9 2.1 .8 . Com m unity Development-Settlement & Housing 10 2.1.9 . F ishe ri es 11 2.1.10. U rba n ization 12 2.1.11. Hea Ith 12 2.1.12. Lands and Physica I P lanning 13 2.1.13. Envi ron ment and Conservation 14 3.0. POLICY CONTEXT 15 3.1. In tern ationa I Pol i cy Context ••.•••••.•••••.•••••.••••••.••••••.•••••.•••••.•••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••.•15 3.1.1 . M il/en n iu m Development Goals 15 3.1.2 . United Nations Convention on C limate Change 16 3.1.3 . United Nations Convention on Environment and Development.. 17 3.1.4 . United Nations Convention on B io log ica l D iversity 18 3.1.5 . United Nations Convention on Human Settlement 20 3.2. Nat iona I Pol icy Context •••••••..••••••••••••••.•••••.••..••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.21 3.2.1 . Th e Constitu tio n 21 National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-1014 Page vii 3.2.2. Vision 2050 22 3.2.3. Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030 22 3.2.4. Medium Term Development Plan 23 3.2.5. National Land Development Program 23 4. INSTITUTIONAL LINKAGES 25 4.1. Department of Lands and Physical Planning 25 4.1.1. Physica I Plan n ing Organ izational Structu re 25 4.1.1.1. Physical Plan ning in Headq uarters 26 4.1.1.1.1. Physical Plann ing Policy Un it.. 26 4.1.1.1.2. Development Planning Unit 27 4.1.1.1.3. Development Assessment Unit 27 4.1.1.2. Regional Physica I Plan ning Offices 28 4.1.1.3. Provincia I Physica I Plan ning Offices 28 4.1.2. Recommended for Improved Management Agency 29 5.0. TH EMATIC POLICY AREAS 30 5.1. Susta inable Econom ic Development.. 30 5.2. Food Security 32 5.3. Biod iversity Conservation 33 5.4. Envi ron ment Man agem ent 34 5.5. Sustainable Utilization of Fin ite Resou rces 35 6.0. SUITABLE LAND USE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES ••..••.•.•••.••••.••.••••.••••.••••36 6.1. Zon ing of Land 36 6.2. Local Control for Land Use Management.. 37 6.2.1. Delegation of Physica I Plan n ing Powers .37 6.2.2. Issue of Com pliance Certificate 39 6.3. Land Ten u re Conve rsion 39 6.3.1. Voluntary Customary Land Registration & ILG .40 6.3.1.1. Socio-Economic Changes and Forces .41 6.3 .1.2. Empowerm ent of Land own ers .41 6.3.1.3. Equitability in Benefit Sharing .44 6.3.1.4. Security in Business Tra nsactions .45 6.3.1.5. Efficient and Effective Legal Systems .46 7.0. BEST USE OF LAND 47 7.1. Declaration of Physica I Plan n ing Areas 47 7.2. Land Capability and Basic Land Use Categorization 49 7.2.1. Development Promotion Area .49 7.2.2. Susta ina b Ie Rura I Areas 49 National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-Z014 Page viii 7.2.3. Conservation Areas 50 7.3. The Roles of Development P lans 51 7.3.1. P rovincia l Development P ians 51 7.3.2. U rba n Development P lans 52 7.3.3. Local Development P lans 52 7.3.4. Subject Development P lan 53 7.4. Role of Environment Council and Physical P lanning Boards 54 7.4.1. National Physical P ian n ing Board 54 7.4.2. Envi ro nm ent Counci I 54 8.0. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PHYSICAL PLANNING SYSTEM IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA 55 9.0. REFERENeES 57 10.0. AN NEX 58 10.1. Legislative Context 58 10.2. National Institu tion 1 s Role under their Legislations 65 National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Pageix BRC CCDS CI CLRC COP DAL DEC DLPP DSP ED EMP GDP GHG GIS ICAD ILG IUCN LUP MDG MTDS NARI NC NDGDP NGO NLDT NPPB NRI NSDS ACRONYMS Binatang Research Center Climate Compatible Development Strategy Conservation International Commission for Law Reform Committee Conference of Parties Department of Agriculture and Livestock Department of Environment and Conservation Department of Lands and Physical Planning Development Strategic Plan Economic Development Environment Management Plan Gross Domestic Product Greenhouse Gases Geographical Information System Integrated Conservation and Development Incorporated Land Groups International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Land Use Planning Millennium Development Goals Medium Term Development Strategy National Agricultural Research Institute National Constitution National Development Goals and Directive Principles Non-Governmental Organization National Land Development Taskforce National Physical Planning Boards National Research Institute National Sustainable Development Strategy National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-1014 Page x I. i NSLUP NUMP NUP acpp aCCD PNG PNGAT PNG LNG PRAEC REDO REDD+ SABL UN UNCBD UNCED UNFCCC UNITECH UPNG WCS WMA WWF National Sustainable Land Use Policy National Urbanization Management Plan National Urbanization Policy Office of the Chief Physical Planner Office of Climate Change and Development Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Appeals Tribunal Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Petroleum Resources Areas Economic Corridor Reduction in Emission of Deforestation and Degradation Reduction in Emission in Deforestation and Forest Degradation including the role of Conservation, Sustainable Forest Management and Enhancement of Carbon Stock Special Agriculture and Business Leases United Nations United Nations Convention on biological Diversity United Nations Convention on Environment and Development United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change University of Technology University of Papua New Guinea Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Management Area World wide Fund for Nature National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-1014 Page xi DEFINITION Sustainable Land Use Policy (SLUP) is a systematic and iterative procedure carried out in order to create an enabling environment for sustainable development (Wehrmann.B, 2011). It assess the physical, socio-economic, institutional and legal potentials and constraints with respect to an optimal and sustainable use of land resources and empowers people to make decisions about how to allocate those resources. It also implies the initiation and monitoring of measures to realize the agreed land uses and thus mapping out suitable locations for housing, industries, businesses, open spaces, parks, roads, water and sewer lines, reservoirs, hospitals, schools, water treatment plants, etc ...then zoning regulations or other devices are used to control how the land is used. Because land is such a valuable economic resource, land use planning is a complex and controversial process involving competing values and intense power struggles. Most land use planning is based on the assumption that substantial future growth in population and economic development should be encouraged, regardless of the environmental and other consequences. Land use planning creates the preconditions required to achieve a type of land use that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and desirable and economically sound. It thereby activates social process of decision making and consensus building concerning the utilization and protection of private, customary and public land areas. Over the years since independence, there has been a general decline in the standard of living to the majority of the population in Papua New Guinea. The cost of the development process in terms of living for the majority of our population is high. Furthermore, the cost of development process in terms of improving standards of living has been lacking. The emerging unsustainable pattern of development is seen in the uneven income distribution patterns, due to lack of sustainable economic development. Malnutrition in Papua New Guinea rates the highest in the world due to lack of food security. The undesirable environment impact from economic projects is evident due to lack of planning for the management and protection of the environment. There is a threat to biodiversity due to the country lacking in formulating a biodiversity plan. The initial conception of this policy was the result of the United Nations Convention on Environment and Development (UNCED) 1992 in Brazil which Papua New Guinea was a participant member country. The convention emphasizes the need for sustainable development to be implemented by all member country. The Waigani Seminar after UNCED emphasis the need for a National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) for Papua New Guinea which drove Papua New Guinea to develop its own policy to apply the concept of sustainable development in our country. The Office of the Chief Physical Planner in its Physical Planning Conference held in Madang in 2000 mentioned a major need for a sustainable land use policy for the country. However, in 2003 the development ofthe national Sustainable Land Use Policy gained. In 2011, a first major consultative workshop was held in Laloki in Central Province which involved key stakeholders of the development of the policy on sustainable land use policy. All contributions and comments have now developed into a Discussion Paper in which is here for endorsement by the National Physical Planning Board for Executive Management Committee Presentation. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy.Z014 Page xii T h e p u r p o s e o f th e N a t io n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o l ic y (N S L U P ) in c lu d e s ; ~ T h e r e v ie w o f th e g u id in g p r in c ip le s o f h ig h e r o r d e r p o l ic y h ie r a r c h y th a n th e p r e s e n t d o c u m e n t a n d a n a n a ly s is o f th e im p a c t o f th o s e h ig h e r o r d e r p o l ic ie s u p o n s u s ta in a b le la n d u s e w h ic h a r e to b e th e fo c u s o f d is c u s s io n s . ~ T o id e n t i f y th e c u r r e n t s p a t ia l is s u e s , t r e n d s a n d s o c ia l a n d e c o n o m ic p r o b le m s r e s u l t in g f r o m th e im p a c ts o f h u m a n a c t iv i t ie s o n la n d u s e w h ic h h a s b e e n a f fe c t in g P a p u a N e w G u in e a (P N G ) o v e r th e la s t fo r t y y e a r s . ~ T o id e n t i f y th e s t r a te g ic o b je c t iv e s u n d e r e a c h o f is s u e s fo c u s ~ T o s e t d i r e c t io n s b y e s ta b l is h in g a p p r o v e d p r o g r a m s fo r e x is t in g a n d n e w ly id e n t i f ie d a g e n c ie s ( in c lu s iv e o f a n y a s s o c ia te d le g is la t iv e c h a n g e s ) n e c e s s a r y to g iv e e f fe c t t o th e p r o p o s e d c o u r s e o f a c t io n s . ~ T h e d o c u m e n t is th e r e s u l t o f c o l la b o r a t iv e e f fo r t o f m a n y e x p e r t s , in d iv id u a ls a n d a g e n c ie s r e p r e s e n t in g g o v e r n m e n t , c h u r c h e s , n o n - g o v e r n m e n ta l o r g a n iz a t io n s , p r iv a te s e c to r s a n d in te r n a t io n a l o r g a n iz a t io n s . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Page xiii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY T h e o p e n in g c h a p te r s e ts o u t a s ta tem e n t o f th e g u id in g p r in c ip le s th a t a re o f h ig h e r o rd e r in p o lic y h ie ra rc h y . A n a n a ly s is o f th e im p a c ts o f th o s e h ig h e r o rd e r p o lic ie s u p o n su s ta in a b le la n d u se is s u e s a re c o ve re d . T h e re s e a rc h re q u ire d fo r th is c h a p te r in v o lv e s a lite ra tu re re v ie w o f a ll o f th e h ig h e r o rd e r o f th e p o lic y d o cum e n ts . T h e e va lu a tio n o f w o rk re q u ire d in v o lv e s a n a p p ra is a l o f th e im p a c ts o f th e p o lic ie s u p o n la n d u se in P a p u a N ew G u in e a o ve r th e la s t th re e d e ca d e s . T h e se h ig h e r o rd e r p o lic ie s h a ve th e e ffe c t o f s e tt in g th e c o n te x tu a l fram ew o rk fo r S u s ta in a b le L a n d U se P o lic y . T h e p o lic y fo r th e u se o f la n d a n d la n d re s o u rc e s o c c u rs in a p ro c e s s b e com e s com p le x w ith th e in c lu s io n o f s ta k e h o ld e rs . T h e m a n d a te fu n c tio n o f N a tio n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U se P o lic y d e r iv e s d ire c tly from th e 4 th G oa l o f th e N a tio n a l C o n s titu t io n a n d is s u p p o rte d b y th e P h y s ic a l P la n n in g A c t 1 9 8 9 . The 4 th G oa l s ta te s th a t; "P a p u a N ew G u in e a /s n a tu ra l re s o u rc e a n d e n v iro nm e n t s h o u ld b e co n se rv e d a n d u se d fo r th e c o lle c tiv e b e n e fit o f a ll a n d sh o u ld b e re p le n is h fo r th e fu tu re g e n e ra tio n s " , W e a c co rd in g ly c a ll fo r i. W is e u se to b e m a d e fo r o u r n a tu ra l re s o u rc e s a n d th e e n v iro nm e n t in a n d o n th e la n d o r s e a b e d / in th e s e a l u n d e r th e la n d / a n d in th e a ir , in th e in te re s t o f o u r d e ve lo pm e n t a n d in tru s t fo r fu tu re g e n e ra tio n s . ii. T h e co n se rv a tio n a n d re p le n is hm e n t, fo r th e b e n e fits o f o u rs e lv e s a n d p o s te r ity o f th e e n v iro nm e n t a n d its s a c re d , s c e n ic a n d h is to r ic a l q u a lit ie s ; a n d iii. A ll n e c e s s a ry s te p s to b e ta k e n to g iv e a d e q u a te p ro te c tio n from d e ve lo pm e n t s o th a t th e q u a lity a n d th e q u a n tity o f th e la n d a n d its re s o u rc e s a re m a in ta in e d a t a ll t im e s . A t In d e p e n d e n ce , th e c o u n try a d o p te d th e N a tio n a l C o n s titu t io n (N C ), w h ic h la y d ow n th e N a tio n a l D e ve lo pm e n t G o a ls a n d D ire c tiv e P r in c ip le s (N D G D P ). O ve r th e y e a rs a fte r th e in d e p e n d e n ce , th e fo c u s o f g o ve rnm e n t s tra te g y b e e n a g ra d u a l s h ift o f em p h a s is from a n e co n om ic d r iv e n a p p ro a ch to th e re a liz a tio n o f th e n e e d to c o n se rv e a n d m a n a g e la n d a n d la n d re s o u rc e s , h ow e ve r th is a p p ro a ch to d e ve lo pm e n t h a s fa ile d to a c h ie v e th e d e s ira b le re s u lts . A p a rt from th e N a tio n a l d e v e lo pm e n t G o a ls a n d D ire c tiv e P r in c ip le s , w h ic h s e ts th e o ve r-a rc h in g d e ve lo pm e n t g o a ls o f th e c o u n try , th e D e ve lo pm e n t S tra te g ic P la n (D S P ), N a tio n a l S u s ta in a b le D e ve lo pm e n t S tra te g y (N S D S ), N a tio n a l U rb a n M a n a g em e n t P o lic y (N U M P ) a n d M e d ium -T e rm D e ve lo pm e n t S tra te g y (M TD S ) h a ve h a d ve ry lit t le im p a c ts in a c h ie v in g th e d e s ire d d e ve lo pm e n t p a tte rn s . B e fo re a n d a fte r in d e p e n d e n ce in 1 9 7 5 , P a p u a N ew G u in e a re lie d o n a se p a ra te le g is la t io n a d o p te d d u r in g th e c o lo n ia l a n d p re - in d e p e n d e n ce e ra to d e te rm in e its u s e in la n d a n d la n d re s o u rc e s . O ve r th e y e a rs , th e in tro d u c tio n o f th e le g is la t io n h a s re s u lte d in a p ie c em e a l d e ve lo pm e n t o f le g is la t io n w h ic h a re s c a tte re d am o n g se ve ra l g o v e rnm e n t a g e n c ie s . P a p u a N ew G u in e a 's p la n n in g s y s tem th e re fo re d e ve lo p e d o u t o f a p ie c em e a l d e ve lo pm e n t o f le g is la t io n a n d fu n c tio n s s c a tte re d am o n g s t s e v e ra l G o ve rnm e n t D e p a rtm e n ts . T h re e se p a ra te p la n n in g s y s tem s em e rg e d a n d e vo lv e d in to o n e o f th e th re e a sp e c ts o f th e National Sustainable Land Use Policy-2014 Page xiv planning systems. This has resulted in the development of a holistic approach to planning rather than focusing on a single aspect of planning for sustainable land use. An integrated physical planning through the framework provided by the National Sustainable Land Use Policy recognizes the importance of balancing the promotion of development with conservation as we as sustainable rural development. Land Use Planning (LUP), Environment Management and Protection (EMP) as well as Economic Development (ED) can therefore be given equal consideration in the future development of Papua New Guinea. The implementation of the piecemeal legislation was driven by land and economic development policies that restricted the release of customary land for development. The policies and legislations of the day are determined by the control and utilization of land and land resources, of which much of it is in the hands of customary landowners. Government policy was very much protective over customary ownership of land. Attempts made previously to reform land and the comprehensive system registration was unsuccessful. W ith the policy on changing the land tenure system to allow greater economic participation, it has been realized that the social cost in terms of destroying traditional structure as a result of changing the land tenure systems of Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, customary ownership of land is fundamental and indispensable to the livelihoods of its people. Customary land provides the foundation through which over eighty percent (80%) of the people meet their basic needs. Land is crucial in terms of food security, shelter, cultural identity, community development, social cohesion and economic wealth (CLRC, 2012). Customary ownership of land through social units defines, characterize and give prominence to the livelihood of the people. Land is an important subsistence safety net for the people. The laws protect the customary landowners from losing their land and become landless in their own land. Land is plentiful in Papua New Guinea and wealth is locked up in land, however, that plentiful land in economic terms is actually a mountain of dead capital because of the inherent nature of customary tenure system. Therefore appropriate measures or reforms are required for conversion of land as dead capital to land as live capital. The legal apparatus is necessary so that land is freed up for recognition by financial institutions. This should leads to achieving broader development objectives and reducing economic poverty for the majority of Papua New Guineans. Most specifically, the direct outcomes are; ~ To acquire land title for customary land and use land as loan guarantee for development activity, ~ Help reduce land disputes over boundaries ~ Access to customary land for resettlement of people affected by natural disasters and government needs to responds to demands on infrastructure and public services by accessing customary land. The National Land Development Program's (NLDP) main perspective of land reform is for releasing land for development and poverty reduction. Consequently, the aim of land reform is to effectively use land for economic development and to protect the rights of the vulnerable section of the community. This requires the government to have a forward National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-2014 Page xv looking strategy on land policy, land use planning for custom ary and state land and to adequately inform people of land reform im plications. Land is plentiful in Papua N ew G uinea and the w ealth is locked up in land, how ever that plentiful land in econom ic term s is actually a m ountain of dead capital because of the inherent nature of the custom ary land tenure system . The release of custom ary land is one of the options and that is to free up the custom ary land for developm ent purpose. The voluntary custom ary land registration is to act as a m irror of the land, reflecting the interests over the land, the physical area, and the title to it. R egistration form alizes titles so that land is no longer becom es just a m atter of birth, nam e of residence, but the question of law (Sharon Kilo, verbal interview). Furtherm ore, registration serves as a useful purpose w here land is m arketable com m odity and changes hands frequently. It also provides security of tenure w here registration is deem ed to be indefeasible. This paper is the first step in m oving tow ards a system atic fram ew ork and process for establishing N ational Sustainable Land U se Policy (N SLU P) and draw s lesson from Papua N ew G uinea and selected international experiences. The current land use pattern poses a threat to the future of Papua N ew G uinea. Since m any form s of developm ent are taking place in the country and the hum an population is also grow ing at an unprecedented rate, w e know that land is a finite resource and once its quality, quantity and resources are overexploited, w e w ill face a very serious problem so therefore w e need to plan it now to save tom orrow . / The lack of a Sustainable Land U se Policy and effective legal fram ew ork is a m ajor im pedim ent to achieving sustainable land usage and m anagem ent. / W hole of governm ent land use planning processes are required to ensure coordinated decision-m aking regarding allocation of land to resource developm ent or conservation purposes. / The N ational Sustainable Land U se Policy cover the w hole land area of Papua N ew G uinea and thus it w ill cover the state land as w ell as the custom ary land tenure system . Therefore, it needs support from the local com m unities in order to im plem ent N SLU P. ./ The custom ary land tenure system and state land ow nership should be balanced and equitably planned for the provision of services and utilization of the land and its resources that can sustain and benefit all people. / N SLU P w ill be m anaged by the state through the O ffice of the C hief Physical Planner and considerable efforts and funding support w ill be needed to ensure landow ner com m unities to m eet their obligations that flow from having N SLU P gazette over their land. There are enorm ous set of issues that PN G faces in view of land and resources use but to date w ith the creation of N SLU P, the above are the key lessons em erging from this paper. The conclusion of the D iscussion Paper is that PN G has an enorm ous opportunity to deliver on its constitutional obligations and international obligations to protect the environm ent National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-1014 Page xvi and biodiversity whilst at the same time alleviate poverty for communities that do not employ sustainable land use practices whilst working the land. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-1014 Page xvii 1.0. RATIONALE T h e n e e d fo r c om p re h e n s iv e S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o lic y is to c le a r from a s im p le c o n s id e ra t io n o f P a p u a N ew G u in e a 's d om e s tic a n d in te rn a t io n a l o b lig a t io n s to p ro te c t a n d s u s ta in la n d a n d its re s o u rc e s fo r fu tu re g e n e ra t io n s a n d a ls o to g iv e e ffe c t to th e in te re s t o f a ll p e o p le re g a rd in g th e ir h e a lth a n d w e lfa re , in p a r t ic u la r th e 4 th G o a l a n d its D ire c t iv e P r in c ip le s . T h e 4 th G o a l o fth e P a p u a N ew G u in e a 's C o n s t itu t io n a r t ic u la te s ; "We declare our fourth goal to be for Papua New Guinea's natural resources and envi ronment to be conserved and used for the collective benefit for us all, and to be reple nished for the benefit of future generations. II F rom th e a b o v e m e n tio n e d g o a l, th e re a re v a r io u s n a t io n a l le g is la t io n s a n d a c t io n p la n s to p rom o te th e o b je c t iv e o f th e 4 th G o a l o f th e N a tio n a l C o n s t itu t io n . In d o in g s o , P N G h a s p a r tn e re d w ith th e g lo b a l c om m u n ity th ro u g h v a r io u s m u lt i- la te ra l e n v iro nm e n ta l a g re e m e n ts ; i. U n ite d N a tio n 's C o n v e n t io n o n E n v iro nm e n t a n d D e v e lo pm e n t ii. U n ite d N a tio n 's M ille n n ium D e v e lo pm e n t G o a ls ii i. U n ite d N a tio n 's C o n v e n t io n o n B io lo g ic a l D iv e rs ity iv . U n ite d N a tio n 's F ram ew o rk C o n v e n tio n o n C lim a te C h a n g e v . U n ite d N a tio n 's C o n v e n t io n o n S u s ta in a b le D e v e lo pm e n t (R io + 2 0 ) T h e p a p e r p ro v id e s a n o v e rv ie w o f th e c u rre n t s ta tu s a n d is s u e s fo c u s o f la n d u s e p a tte rn s , d is c u s s in c r it ic a l te rm s th e c u rre n t a p p ro a c h e s to la n d u s e c o n v e rs io n th a t in c lu d e s s u s ta in a b le e c o n om ic d e v e lo pm e n t, fo o d s e c u r ity , b io d iv e rs ity a n d w ild life , d e p le t io n o f f in ite re s o u rc e s , m a n a g em e n t o f b e s t u s e o f la n d th ro u g h id e n t if ic a t io n o f e x is t in g z o n in g m e c h a n ism s , lo c a l c o n tro l o f la n d u s e m a n a g em e n t a n d la n d te n u re c o n v e rs io n th a t la y s th e g ro u n d w o rk o f th e d e v e lo pm e n t o f th e N a tio n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o lic y . 1.1. VISION L a n d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a in c lu d in g its re s o u rc e s a n d e n v iro nm e n t to b e c o n s e rv e d a n d u s e d fo r th e c o lle c t iv e b e n e fit o f a ll c it iz e n s a n d re p le n is h e d fo r th e b e n e fit o f fu tu re g e n e r a t io n s . 1.2. MISSION STATEMENT T o p rom o te b e s t u s e o f la n d in th e in te re s t o f a ll p e o p le in P a p u a N ew G u in e a a n d to a c h ie v e s u s ta in a b le s o c ia l, e c o n om ic a n d p h y s ic a l a d v a n c em e n t. T h e v is io n d e r iv e s from th e N a tio n a l C o n s t itu t io n , th e p o lic y re p re s e n t a h um a n a s c r ib e d g o a ls o f P a p u a N ew G u in e a s o c ie t ie s . In p u rs u in g th e g o a ls a n d g u id in g p r in c ip le s , th e G o v e rnm e n t in te n d s to s h a p e th e s o c ia l a n d p h y s ic a l e n v iro nm e n t o f th e c o u n try to a c h ie v e th e d e s ire d d e v e lo pm e n t G o a ls a n d D ire c t iv e P r in c ip le s o f th e c o u n try a s e n s h r in e d in th e C o n s t itu t io n . National. Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 1 To achieve the vision, land use, physical and related planning activities shall proceed within the context of the principles that support the allocation and use of land and its resources with due regard to their sustainability. These principles include addressing the higher order issues of sustainable development such as sustainable economic growth, food security, bio diversity and wildlife conservation and depletion of finite resources. 1.3. GOAL To identify strategies, activities and appropriate institutional and procedural mechanisms to monitor and manage land use conversions thus implementing Government policies on sus tainable development. 1.4. POLICY PRINCIPLES Sustainability This requires a sustainable management and the best use of our land and its resources mak ing up natural and built environment to benefit the present and future generation. Equality This requires that everyone affected by spatial planning, land use management and land de velopment actions and or decisions must enjoy equal protection and benefits and that no unfair discrimination will be allowed. Efficiency This requires the desired results of land use must be produced upon the land with minimum expenditure of resources. Integration This requires that separate and diverse elements involved in development planning should be combined and coordinated to achieve complete and harmonious whole. Fair and Good Governance This requires that planning, spatial planning; land use management and land development must be democratic, legitimate and participatory. Integrity Uphold highest ethical standards of people and processes involved in addressing land and land issues. Capacity Building Build and enhance existing capacities to deal with all issues of land, land use, management and development. Leadership Provide and demonstrate responsible leadership. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 2 Cultura l Sen sit ivy Recognize, respect and uphold existing customary values, authorities, institu tions and processes. Information Management Establish and development a national credib le and reliab le physica l p lanning information systems regarding all land in Papua New Guinea. 2.0. BACKGROUND Papua New Guinea is a small is land country located in the Pacific Is land, is mounta inous and tropica l ly ing on the Eastern Half of New Guinea Island. Papua New Guinea has a landmass covering approximate ly 463 000 000 square kilometers of land and is a country of excep tional ethnic and bio logica l d iversity and harbor's hundreds of endem ic species. The popula tion is about approximate ly seven (7) m illion people who speak more than 840 distinct lan guages. The indigenous population of Papua New Guinea is one of the most heterogeneous in the world; severa l thousand separate communities and triba l groups live spread out over the country. Approximate ly, 85 percent of these population lives a traditional rura l subsis tence lifestyle which utilizes 97 percent of the land. The state owns only 3% of Papua New Guinea's land and develops, contro l and manage. The large rura l population is supported by the bio logica l richness and the diversity of the forests, in land waters and the coasta l seas. 85% of the country 's labour force is absorbed by the agricu ltura l sector. Major agricu ltura l products include coffee, cocoa, tea, rubber, copra, o il pa lm etc .... Land is our life . Land is our physica l life-food and sustenance. Land is our socia l life ; it is marriage; it is status; it is security; it is politics, in fact, it is our only world. W e have little or no experience of socia l surviva l detached from the land. Map of Papua New Guinea , . ~. Manus .~.-~ ..• ~ ~ .. ." . M ilne • a••.•y .•....•... : ..~ . ----- ------- . --~- Map showing the Provinces that make up Papua New Guinea National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 3 2 .1 . C U RR EN T S ITU A T IO N AND IS SU ES FO CU S 2.1.1. Agriculture & Livestock PNG has abou t 4 63 m illio n he c ta re s o f la n d o f w h ich 97 % is tra d itio n a lly ow ned and u sed b y lo ca l p e op le . D ue to s te e p s lo p e s and in unda tio n , o n ly 3 0% a rab le la n d su it a b le fo r com m e rc ia l a g r icu ltu re - L a rg e a re a s o fth e se la n d s in c lu d e : i. M a rkham /R am u V a lle y - M o ro be /M adang P ro v in ce ii. T a r i B a s in - S ou th e rn H ig h la n d s P ro v in ce iii. S e p ik P la in s - E a s t S ep ik P ro v in ce iv . S oge ri P la te a u - C en tra l P ro v in ce v . W agh i V a lle y -W es te rn H ig h la n d s P ro v in ce T he u tiliz a tio n o f la n d fo r c ro p p ro du c tio n to sa tis fy h um an need s and w an ts h a s de ve lo p ed va s t a re a s o f la n d fo r fo o d p ro du c tio n . T he se a re a s a re re ga rd ed a s la n d su ita b le fo r su ppo rt in g la rg e num be r o f p opu la tio n and e conom ic ad van cem en t. H ow eve r, le ss th a n 10% o f a ra b le la n d is cu rre n tly b e in g u tiliz e d , m a in ly d ue to lo ca l la n d te nu re sys tem . P opu la tio n in c re a se a s w e ll a s so c ia l a n d e conom ic p re ssu re ha s m ean t th a t m o re and m o re m a rg in a l la n d s a re be in g u sed . T he p rim a ry ob je c tiv e o f p la n n in g fo r p ro du c tio n la n d u se is to d e te rm in e th e m os t e ffic ie n t a n d equ ita b le m anne r o f u tiliz a tio n and m anag in g la n d re sou rce s su ch th a t th e re is a de q ua te and a cce ss ib le spa ce fo r su s ta in a b le fo o d p ro du c tio n , fo re s t a n d m in e ra l re sou rce e x tra c tio n , in d u s tr ia l a n d to u rism w ith th e end in v iew o f m ee tin g th e m a te r ia l a n d o th e r re q u irem en t o f th e popu la tio n . Is su e s o f C on ce rn i. O ve r a nd /o r e x te n s ive u se o f m a rg in a l la n d w ith o u t p ro pe r a tte n tio n to la n d and la nd ba sed re sou rce s con se rva tio n and /o r p re ven tio n o f la n d deg ra da tio n . ii. M ono c ro pp in g th re a te n s so il q u a lity a s w e ll a s b io d ive rs ity iii. F o od in se cu rity fo r g row in g popu la tio n . iv . T he h ig h ra te o f im po rt o f fo o d from o th e r co un tr ie s th a t ca n be cu ltiv a te d in P apua N ew G u in ea . v . T he de s ire d ou tcom e is to p ro du ce a ll o f w ha t w e need to ea t a nd enough o f w ha t w e w an t to e a t (National Framework/or Sustainable Land Use 2006-2036). T he m a in po lic y is to id e n tify la n d app ro p ria te fo r fo o d p ro du c tio n and m a in ta in its le ve ls o f p ro du c tio n and p ro du c tiv ity T he re is a need to in c re a se th e le ve l o f p ro du c tio n and p ro du c tiv ity in a g ricu ltu re , fo re s t, m in in g , a nd in d u s try a nd to u rism se c to rs in o rd e r to a dd re ss e x is tin g supp ly g ap s , in c re a s in g dem ands b ro ugh t a bou t b y in c re a s in g popu la tio n pe r-ca p ita co n sum p tio n le ve ls a nd in c re a s in g com pe tit io n from fo re ig n in ve s to rs . T he fo llow in g po lic y g u id e lin e s can he lp in a ch ie v in g a re qu ire d le ve l o f p ro du c tio n and p ro du c tiv ity ; National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 4 i. Identify and delineate existing and potential agricultural, forest, m ining production areas, assess supply and dem and requirem ents, im plem ent m easures to im prove ef ficiency, and provide support infrastructure and other facilities to production activi ties. ii. Prom ote w ater security through focused irrigation program s, research and develop m ent, and the developm ent and im provem ent of w ater database. iii. Identify and delineate existing and potential tourism areas, assess current econom ic perform ance, social and environm ental im pacts, determ ine areas w here tourism de velopm ent should be pursued further or discouraged and provide infrastructure support. Priority Areas for Concern i. M aintenance of soil quality for crop quality and quantity production ii. Training of local farm ers in innovative crop farm ing e.g agro forestry, drought resi lient crops and new crops and use of better agricultural techniques to m aintain soil fertility. iii. Support and encourage agriculture extension officers in rural areas iv. W ork w ith landow ners to encourage continuation of traditional sense of environ m ent stew ardship w hilst pursuing sustainable econom ic and social developm ent through sufficient and adequate food production. v. Establishing and strengthening strong partnership am ong stakeholders (landow ners, governm ent, N G O , C BO , and the private sector) vi. M aintaining realistic and accessible data or inform ation system . vii. The m ain concern relies in the range from extent to w hich food w ill produce. To iden tify land appropriate for food production and to m aintain its productive capacity and use for this purpose. viii. To prepare a N ational Action Plan for Food Security for Papua N ew G uinea. ix. Identify existing agricultural lands, assess their productivity and production levels and the extent practicable and possible and protect this from conversion. x. Identify potential agricultural expansion areas and w ith due consideration for com peting land uses, protect this from conversion. xi. Identify m arginal land for agricultural expansion and w ith due consideration for com peting land uses, protect these from conversion. xii. C onsider m arginal land as expansion areas for non-agricultural activities to reduce the pressure of land use conflicts. xiii. Provide infrastructure support that w ould link production areas to other land uses, and im plem ent other m easures to increase productivity. xiv. To encourage the type of developm ent throughout the country w hich renew able re sources and to m inim ize the exhaustion of finite resources xv. Facilitate econom ic projects close to the population that m ay lead to poverty allevia tion and are capable of continuous operations. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 5 2.1.2. Climate Change The impacts of climate change-related hazards in the country has been increasing in intensi ty and frequency, which is particularly evident in increasingly frequent and impactful occur rences of tropical storms and cyclones which are able to produce significant natural disas ters. Further impacts of climate change have drastic effects on the natural environment as well as people. Climate Change is both an environmental and developmental issue. Issues of Concern i. The loss of food gardens due to extensive flooding combined with extended periods of drought. ii. The rising sea level is causing some of PNG's islands to being gradually submerged. In addition, salt water intrusion which degrades the ground water. Many low-lying coastal islands are sinking, coastal erosion, king tides, cyclones and storm surges are more frequent. iii. Coastal and inland flooding have pronounced and thus aided in transporting its sedi ments down to the sea which aids in the bleaching of coral reefs, degrading marine ecosystems and thus assists in the diminishing of marine species that were unable to adapt to the changing environmental conditions. iv. In the highlands, increase episodes of hailstorm and frosts which resulted in the de struction of food gardens. v. Irregular rainfall patterns with period of prolonged dry seasons affects soil fertility and yields while increasing the spread of infectious diseases and pests which are fur ther decreasing agricultural productivity and thus resulting in food shortage in some areas. vi. Mitigating the impacts of and adapting to climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of renewable energy, air quality and pollution, land contamination, aquifer protection and noise pollution. Priority Areas for Action The land use plan should identify certain areas for specific development options, so that each development such as REDD+ (carbon trade), conservation areas and agriculture devel opment activities can continue and be sustained. i. All Maritime Provinces including their outer islands must have a land use plan in place in order to identify specific types of land uses and identify areas for conserva tion. ii. Integrate climate change issues in all planning systems at national, provincial and lo cal levels and to make sure all parties that include local people, government, private sectors and NGOs to participate in decision making processes. iii. Formulate and develop resettlement or migration plans for climate change induced migration and resettlement. iv. Further dialogue to integrate and facilitate integration of relevant land use plans. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 6 v. S ince climate change issues are very devastating in PNG, it is very important to for mulate a climate change policy. vi. Capacity build ing, tra in ing and awareness at local, national and provincia l levels should be conducted to instill the know ledge and skills of how to adapt and m itigate climate changes issues to all the people. vii. Encourage reforestation and reaforestation of cleared areas and grassland. - planting different local tree species of cultural and econom ic values. viii. Information sharing among relevant agencies/sectors that should contribute towards Sustainable land Use Policy to better address land use issues. ix. Relevant national government agencies/sectors involved in land use planning, pro vincia l adm inistrations, relevant NGOs and of course the land owners if need be. 2.1.3. Mining and Petroleum/Energy The extraction of non-renewable resources mainly gold, copper and oil are concentrated in the remote areas w ith large open cut m ines that tend to pollute river and sea eco-systems. Destruction of agricultural land and forests for m ining purposes have largely impact the nat ural vegetation. Issues of Concern i. R iver and sea pollution from waste dumping of m ining sediments and tailings. ii. Loss of fish stock, loss of land and food and water poisoning etc. resulting from dis posal of toxic and excessive waste. Priority Areas of Action i. More responsible m ining (i.e. understanding impacts, better management of m itigat ing benefits). ii. The m ining plan should be subm itted to the National Physical P lanning Board seeking perm ission for carrying out m ining if an area is potentia l for m ineral resources. iii. The m ine closure plan should also be prepared and subm itted as this w ill indicate how the m ine communities w ill adapt to the changes that were made to their natural environment and also w ith the introduction of cash economy. 2.1.4. Forestry PNG has approximately 463 m illion hectares of land of which 77% (36 m illion hectares is natural forest that contains 5% -7% world 's species of plants and animals. Only 17% of the natural forest (8m illion hectares) is suitable for econom ic logging where close to half (3.5% m illion hectares) has already been logged. Social and econom ic pressures have caused high deforestation rates e.g logging for much needed cash and clearing for subsistence agricul ture w ith shorter fa llow . Issues of Concern i. Land availability and its use in terms of forestry development are crucial at th is point in time particularly when other stakeholders or land based developers are also com peting for the same parcel of land. This is quite evident especially when there is ab National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 7 sence o f na tio na l la nd use p la nn in g sys tem in p la ce fo r th e w ho le na tio n . A m a jo r th ru s t o f th e G ove rnm en ts S tra te g ic p la n is to im p ro ve the econom y th rough in c rea sed expo rt in com e . T h is is a lso h ig h lig h te d in PNG V is io n 2050 . ii. Im m ed ia te p la nn in g issues a re th e C h ie f P hys ica l P la nne r to d ia lo gue w ith re le van t agenc ie s / se c to rs th a t ha ve the ir re spec tive m anda ted la nd use p la n s and fa c ilita te in te g ra tio n o f p la n s . iii. D e fo re s ta tio n causes g radua l so il e ro s io n and m ass la nd s lip s , re duc tio n in b io d ive rs i ty and hence reduc tio n in fo od secu rity . iv . A cco rd in g to cu rre n t tre nd s (ha rve s tin g and cu ttin g cyc le ) m os t e conom ica l fo re s t w ill h a ve been lo gged in 25 yea rs tim e . v . In c rea s in g num be rs o f ra re fa una and flo ra a re endange red . S om e spec ie s cou ld be lo s t fo re ve r if e xp lo ita tio n is un con tro lle d and hab ita ts a lte re d . v i. G row ing ille ga l tra de in w ild life w he re da ta is d ifficu lt to quan tify . v ii. T o deve lo p a la nd use p la n is a m a jo r cha lle nge as 97% o f th e la nd is ow ned by cus tom a ry la nd ow ne rs . P rio r ity A rea s fo r A c tio n i. T he la nd use p la n shou ld id en tify ce rta in a rea s fo r spec ific d e ve lo pm en t op tio n s , so th a t ea ch deve lo pm en t op tio n s su ch as tim be r p roduc tio n , c lim a te change and ca r b on tra de , conse rva tio n a rea s and ag ricu ltu re deve lo pm en t a c tiv itie s can con tin ue and be sus ta in ed . ii. F u rth e r d ia lo gue to in te g ra te and fa c ilita te in te g ra tio n o f re le van t la nd use p la n s . iii. S tre ng then in g fo re s t law s en fo rcem en t e .g tra in in g and aw a reness a t lo ca l le ve l in na tio na l a nd p ro v in c ia l fo re s t law s and sus ta in ab le fo re s t m anagem en t. iv . R e fo re s ta tio n and a fo re s ta tio n o f c le a red a rea s and g ra ss la nd . - p la n tin g d iffe re n t lo ca l tre e spec ie s o f cu ltu ra l a nd econom ic va lu e s . v . E ncou rage renew ab le ene rg y if e ffic ie n t u se in p la ce o f fu e l w ood . v i. In fo rm a tio n sha rin g am ong re le van t agenc ie s /se c to rs th a t shou ld con tr ib u te tow a rd s be tte r add re ss in g la nd use issues and phys ica l p la nn in g . v ii. R e le van t na tio na l g o ve rnm en t agenc ie s /se c to rs in vo lved in la nd use p la nn in g , p ro v in c ia l a dm in is tra tio n s , re le van t NGO s and o f cou rse the la nd ow ne rs if n eed be . 2.1.5. Natural Disasters D ue to PNG s geog raph ic lo ca tio n i.e . P ac ific R im o f fire ) it is p rone to na tu ra l d isa s te rs su ch as ea rth quakes , vo lcan ic e rup tio n s , tsunam is a s w e ll a s e xcess ive ra in fa ll th a t cau se m ass la nd s lip s . PNG is ju s t o u ts id e th e m a in tro p ica l cyc lo ne be lt w ith h ig h p robab ility o f cyc lo ne fo rm ing ou ts id e and tra ck in g in to PNG . D rough ts and fro s ts be com ing m o re fre quen t. T h is po lic y seeks to a ch ie ve env iro nm en ta l s ta b ility a nd eco lo g ica l in te g rity th u s ensu rin g ba la n ce be tw een re sou rce s use and the p re se rva tio n o f som e educa tio na l, cu ltu ra l a nd h is to r ica l s ig n ifica n ce and p ro te c t p eop le and m anm ade s tru c tu re s from ill e ffe c ts o f n a tu ra l h a za rd s T he re a re fo u r m a in issues conce rned and in c lu de ; i. Non-demarcation of boundaries of protected areas National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 8 ii. C onflic t reso lu tion w ith in protected areas iii. D isaster m itiga tion , use of resources and its im pacts on protection area . iv . In form ation , education and com m unication cam paign Issues of C oncern i. N atura l d isasters a ffect lives, destroy ing essentia l in frastructure such as roads and bridges, increasing poverty by affecting loca l and nationa l econom y and threaten food security . ii. E nvironm ent risks be m ore properly inserted in the deve lopm ent fram ew ork in te rm s of both preparedness and m itiga tion . iii. C ontinuous vanda lism of se ism ic equ ipm ent, w eather recod ing , te lecom m unica tions fac ilities and naviga tiona l a ids such as ligh t houses. iv . A vo id ing new deve lopm ent in areas at h igh risk o f flood ing and sea leve l rise . P rio rity A reas of A ctions i. M a in tenance and im provem ent o f early w arn ing system for natura l d isasters ii. P ub lic education and aw areness to preserve essentia l w arn ing system . iii. Im proved data m anagem ent 2.1.6. Water Resources P apua N ew G uinea 's to ta l freshw ater area = 64,000 K m 2 com pris ing 5383 freshw ater lakes as w ell as w etlands inc lud ing 14 m ajor rivers. A n average ra in fa ll o f 3000 m illim eters per year. The southern part o f country is drie r than the northern part. O n ly 91 K m 2 «1% of to ta l fresh w ater A rea) is pro tected area. Tota l renew able w ater resources per cap ita is about 170 000m 3 (one of the h ighest in the w orld ) bu t P N G ranks in the bottom ten countries for access to safe w ater. O n ly about 30% of to ta l popu la tion has access to safe w ater (w here in 29% of vast ru ra l popu la tion have access to safe w ater sources com pared to 91% of re la tive ly sm all u rban popu la tion). O n ly 60% of urban popu la tion has w ater d irectly p iped to househo ld . Issues of C oncern i. Increasing popu la tion puts pressure on lim ited capacity o f trea ted w ater supp ly and san ita tion system s. ii. U nregu la ted runoff from industria l activ ities and d irect dum ping of w astes such as so lid dom estic w aste , hazardous w aste and sew erage. iii. U nderdeve loped or poor san ita tion fac ilities iv . W aterborne d iseases (e .g d ia rrhea) are m ajor contribu tor to ch ildhood m orb id ity and m orta lity in rura l a reas. v. V anda lism of S outhern C ross tanks. P rio rity A ction P lan i. To ensure a llow ab le land utiliza tion beyond tow n/c ity boundaries for w ater resource m anagem ent and safe w ater and san ita tion program s. ii. C onsider a N ationa l P hysica l p lan- identifies and pro tect river basins, ca tchm ent areas, aqu ife rs from reckless deve lopm ent, hab ita tions, and use of land. N ational Susta inable Land U se Policy-20l2 Page 9 iii. W ater harvesting of rainwater and conservation or sustainable use of water catch ment. iv. Improvement in both water supply and sanitation systems to reduce cases of water borne diseases. v. Buffer zones for the protection of land and eco-systems on river banks. 2.1.7. Transport Infrastructure-Airports, Seaports and National Highways The role of infrastructure in national development in providing the built up environment that allows production, consumption and service activities to take place. Infrastructure is the physical entity that enables economic processes, supports and guides urban and rural devel opment, integrates the various communities of the various communities of Highlands, Coastal and maritime provincial population of Papua New Guinea to the global community. In this manner, the state of infrastructure, including the way it enhances and complements the natural environment, provides a physical measure of a national and local development and ultimately of the quality of life. Infrastructure is the common, physical link among the production, protection and the set tlement component of the National framework for Physical Planning. Infrastructure devel opment in the National Framework for Physical Planning covers five sub-sectors and that include; i. Transportation ii. Communications iii. Energy iv. W ater resources v. Social Issues of Concern i. Produce air, surface and groundwater pollution and addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. ii. By failing to make transport strategy the basis of land use planning, land becomes scares to further develop transport infrastructure. Priority Action Plan The provision of basic services, fostering economic and other forms of integration necessary for producing or obtaining the material requirements of Papua New Guineans and the de velopment of an efficient, responsive, safe and ecologically friendly built environment for transport infrastructure. i. Prioritize and implement infrastructure projects that support the policy of national dispersal through regional concentration. ii. Promote inter-model transportation systems, taking into account compatibility, eco nomic feasibility, comparative advantage and linkages of desired transportation modes to facilitate smooth transfer of people and good between designated transfer points. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 10 r iii. Prioritize and implement infrastructure projects that allow increased access to basic social services and other development services while catering to the productive sec tors and market-based industry putting the entire population into the mainstream of sustainable development. iv. Ensure compatibility of infrastructure with local land use and development plans, giv ing priority to projects with the most strategic impacts. 2.1.8. Community Development-Settlement and Housing There are three main concerns with the idea of settlement development and these include; planning within the context of National Network of Settlements, Spatial distribution of fu ture population and managing spatial impact of development processes. Zoned and subdi vided allotments leased to individuals by the State. Formal settlements have necessary ser vices being provided by the City Authorities and zoned residential areas. The settlement of human population has acquired much of the land. The hierarchy of set tlements encourages local development initiatives to make strategic plans and decisions that involve regional and national considerations. There are six main concerns with the idea of settlement development and these include; i. Planning within the context of National Network of Settlements ii. Spatial Distribution of Future Population iii. Infrastructure and BasicServices iv. Housing and Informal settlements v. Food Security and Land Conversion vi. Income Distribution Patterns vii. Rural-Urban Linkages viii. Managing the Spatial Impacts of Development Issues of Concern i. Illegally settlements are coming up everywhere in the urban areas. ii. People settling in prime state land and depriving the state from providing services. iii. Make-shift houses with no proper services being installed. Priority Action Plan i. Formulating subject, local urban or provincial development plans within the context of national hierarchical network of settlements where there will always be difference in the level and scale of activities. Despite such difference, however opportunities for economic growth and improving delivery of services and overall quality of life rela tive to other settlements can be locally initiated. ii. Guide the formulation of physical plans by the close relationships between local economic growth and production efficiency, market access, and the provision of ba sic services. iii. Settlement areas shall be focus on growth and their importance be promoted through; National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 11 iv. Efficient use of land and resources, the use of infrastructure and public service facili ties which are planned or available thus avoid the need for their unjustified or un economical expansion v. Identify and promote opportunities taking into account existing building areas and the availability of suitable existing or planned infrastructure or public service facili ties required to accommodate projected needs. vi. Promote and facilitate compact form while maintaining appropriate levels of public health and safety. vii. Establish and implement minimum targets within built up areas. viii. Establish and implement policies to ensure specify targets are achieved prior to, or concurrent with new development within designated growth areas. ix. Development should occur adjacent to the existing built-up areas and shall have a compact form, mix of uses and densities that allow for the efficient use of land, in frastructure and public service facilities. x. Identify settlement areas and or allow for expansion of the boundary for settlement areas. 2.1.9. Fisheries Papua New Guinea has a valuable and extensive fisheries sector ranging from inland river fisheries and aquaculture to coastal reef fisheries and deepwater tuna fisheries. There are range of subsistence fishing communities to small scale commercial fisheries, me dium scale domestic prawns and tuna longline operators, and international interests operat ing purse seine tuna fishing vessels. The PNG's zone of 2.4 million square kilometers is the richest in the South Pacific. The fishe ries zone includes an extended reef system, numerous islands and extensive coastline. These create huge opportunity but also present an enormous challenge for monitoring and control. Issues of Concern i. Subsistence and artisanal fisheries is difficult to obtain information regarding de mand, supply and small-scale economic activity. ii. The development of aquaculture fisheries needs suitable land and as such the entire community needs to participate in constructing fish ponds and participate in inland fisheries activities as land is a communal property. Priority Action Plans i. Better. management and development of fisheries in Papua New Guinea. ii. More awareness should be carried out on fisheries as it is a very viable industry that can sustain people living in the rural areas. iii. More land should be made available for aquaculture. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 12 2.1.10. Urbanization Towns evolved in Papua New Guinea as the centers for co lon ia l contro l and adm in istra tion. As towns expand, additional land was alienated in a piecemeal way, resu lting in a patchwork of a lienated land. Later town boundaries were drawn. Today, the towns are expanding very fast. Most of the people are moving and settling in towns and cities to access the better services that are provided there. Issues of Concern i. G iven high urban population grow th rates pressures on urban infrastructure and em ployment opportun ities have increased. ii. G row ing of in formal and squatter settlements w ith in the urban settings. iii. Roads and dra inage suffer more from lack of maintenance. iv. Low and average income earners unable to afford re liab le accommodations and thus the real estate prices are very h igh. v. Rate of unemployment is very h igh. vi. Law and order problems are very common in urban areas. P riority Action P lan i. Encourage rura l development. ii. P romote equal access to employment opportun ities and discourage m igration. iii. In troduce low -cost se lf-he lp housing schemes. iv. Build appropria te affordable in frastructures such as roads, bridges, etc ... v. Encourage and promote small medium enterprises (SME). vi. Improve the built and natura l environment in and around urban areas and rura l set tlements includ ing the provis ion of good quality open space, mainta in so il qualities and preservation of archaeolog ica l s ites. v ii. P rotecting the quality, character and amenity va lues. viii. In troduce polic ies on urban environmenta l management and landscaping. 2.1.11. Health The national health system is the basis for organization and adm in istra tion of health services in the country. The leg is la tive framework defines the powers, ro les and responsib ilities for a ll leve ls of government in delivering health services. Issues of Concern i. The health of the people is not improving. This applies particu larly to the rura l com munities especia lly mothers and children who are dying from preventab le d iseases. ii. There are lim ited resources availab le to improve the health of the people. iii. Geographica l barriers deny access to basic health services. iv. Customary landowners are not w illing to re lease the ir land for bu ild health facilities. v. Local people destroying the health facilities after not paying compensation to the land. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 13 P rio rity A c tion P lan i. M o re ru ra l hea lth fac ilitie s to be bu ild to m ee t the needs o f the ru ra l popu la tion . ii. M o re land m ust be m ade ava ilab le by the s ta te to se t up hea lth fac ilitie s . iii. P ro tec ting the env ironm en t and hum an hea lth th rough e ffec tive w aste m anagem en t p rac tices . 2.1.12. Lands and Physical Planning The a lloca tion , m anagem en t and bes t use o f land w ith in the th ree b road land use zones in the coun try tha t is suppo rted by the ex is ting leg is la tive fram ework o f; i. D eve lopm en t P rom o tion , ii. S us ta inab le R ura l and iii. C onse rva tion The tw o p rinc ip le leg is la tions p rov ided by the Phys ica l P lann ing Act and the Env ironm en t A c t need to be s treng thened . The recen t pa rad igm sh ift in G ove rnm en t po licy and p lann ing from sho rt to m ed ium te rm p lann ing to long te rm p lann ing th rough the in troduc tion o f h ighe r o r de r po lic ies such as V is ion 2050 , D eve lopm en t S tra teg ic P lann ing 2010 -2030 and Na tiona l U rban iza tion Po licy 2010 -2030 has crea ted a sh ift in focus in deve lopm en t to m ake ru ra l a reas m ore u rban . Th is has crea ted the need to iden tify a range o f land uses and zones fo r deve lopm en t. Issues o f C once rn i. Ins titu tiona l and p ro fess iona l capac ity to ove rsee deve lopm en t and unde rtake fo r w a rd p lann ing fo r dec la red phys ica l p lann ing a reas has been lim ited . ii. The re is w idesp read sens itiv ity to the poss ib ility o f po litica l m o tiva ted res is tance to the ex tens ion o f phys ica l p lann ing a reas . Th is has been p reven ting p lanne rs from ex tend ing phys ica l p lann ing a reas to the fu ll ex ten t o f tow n 's sphe re o f in fluence . iii. N o ru ra l zon ing ex is ted in the 1990 Regu la tion Zon ing Schedu le , so the re w as no po in t in ex tend ing phys ica l p lann ing con tro l in ru ra l a reas . The 2007 regu la tion has p rov ided fo r som e ru ra l zon ing bu t the re is a need to inc lude p ro tec tion land use zon ing to cove r na tu ra l d isas te rs a reas . iv . The re has been ine rtia w ith in the phys ica l p lann ing sys tem caused by p rob lem s o f unde rs tand ing and a pe rvas ive tha t "one shou ld bu t o f w ha t one can chew ". v . The p rinc ip le leg is la tion em phas is m anagem en t o f land use by Phys ica l P lann ing Boa rd ; the new regu la tion adds to the res tric tive con tro lling m echan ism by the in tro duc tion o f a m ore fac ilita ting m echan ism o f ce rtifica te and com p liance . v i. The re is now c lea r sepa ra tion o f respons ib ilitie s be tw een Phys ica l P lann ing O ffices and the Phys ica l P lann ing Boa rds . P hys ica l P lann ing O ffices m ust be m anned by p ro fess iona l s ta ff tha t is adequa te ly com pe ten t to iden tify the type o f deve lopm en t p ro posa l w h ich is be ing reques ted by an app lican t. If the p roposed ac tiv ity is com p lian t w ith the p rov is ions o f the Phys ica l P lann ing Act, the Phys ica l P lann ing R egu la tion , cu rren t zon ing p lans and o the r gu ide lines (such as p re fe rred cond itions upon deem ed pe rm iss ions) w ill be used by O ffice s ta ff. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 14 vii. There is an urgent need for the preparation of 21 Provincial Development Plans, and Subject Development Plans within the framework of the Physical Planning Act. Priority Action Plan i. The need for the country to have a Strategic Land Use Plan that will guide physical development throughout the country. The National Land Use Management Plan which must follow on from the implementation of the National Sustainable land Use Policy will translate all the higher order policies in physical terms to achieve the goals of sustainable land use practices, balance rural-urban, inter-provincial and inter regional disparities within the country whilst at the sometime optim ize the use of our finite land and land resources so as to achieve the development goals of our higher order policies. 2.1.13. Environment and Conservation For National Sustainable Land Use Policy to have an effect in the protection of Conserva tion areas identified under the three broad category of land use in the country, the Gov ernment must strengthen the existing legislation on the Protection of Conservation Areas. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) administers the Environment Act 2000 of Parliament whose objectives are to facilitate the gazettal of protected areas for biodi versity conservation purposes. Issues of Concern i. It relies upon the alienation of customary land tenure by state. This is unlikely to oc cur. ii. There are number of resource exploration and development leases which are given over W ildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and the extent of damage to WMAs through commercial logging and intensification of subsistence agriculture. iii. Environmental degradation and destruction of biological diversity from intensive land usage like resource extraction through logging, m ining, commercial agriculture.etc ... Priority Action Plan i. The rehabilitation, conservation and management of sensitive or critical ecosystems to preserve their integrity, to allow degraded resources to regenerate and to protect human population from environment hazards. ii. The Government does not have a protected area policy and is working towards the development of a National Protected Area Systems Policy for Papua New Guinea. Such a Policy should come under the over-arching policy framework for National Sus tainable Land Use. iii. The National Sustainable land Use Policy has identified three broad categories of land use zones for the purposes of policy and planning. The Protected Area systems are part of land use broadly categorized as Conservation Area which the Department of Environment and Conservation is responsible for its management and planning. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 15 iv . D e v e lo p m e n t P ro m o tio n is th e re s p o n s ib ility o f P h y s ic a l P la n n in g a n d S u s ta in a b le R u ra l Z o n e is th e s h a re d re s p o n s ib ility o f E n v iro n m e n t a n d C o n s e rv a tio n a n d P h y s ic a l P la n n in g u n d e r th e o v e r-a rc h in g p o lic y fra m e w o rk fo r s u s ta in a b le la n d u s e . v . D e v e lo p a N a tio n a l B io d iv e rs ity A c tio n P la n fo r P a p u a N e w G u in e a . v i. P ro te c tin g ru ra l a re a s fro m th e im p a c ts o f d e v e lo p m e n ts o n la n d s c a p e q u a lity , c o n s e rv a tio n a n d e n h a n c e m e n t o f w ild life s p e c ie s a n d b io lo g ic a l d iv e rs ity . v ii. U p - to -d a te in fo rm a tio n o n th e e n v iro n m e n t c h a ra c te r is t ic s a n d p o te n tia l im p a c ts , e i th e r p o s it iv e o r n e g a tiv e o n th e e n v iro n m e n t s h o u ld b e n o te d . v iii. R e c o g n iz e th e lim it o f th e e n v iro n m e n t to e ith e r a c c e p t o r d e c lin e n e w d e v e lo p m e n ts w ith o u t ir re v e rs ib le d a m a g e s . ix . P ro te c tin g a n d e n h a n c in g th e q u a lity o f h is to r ic a n d n a tu ra l e n v iro n m e n t in b o th u r b a n a n d ru ra l a re a s b y p ro te c tio n to v a lu e d la n d s c a p e s , w ild life a n d n a tu ra l re s o u rc e s 3.0. POLICY CONTEXT T h e a im o f d e v e lo p in g N a tio n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o lic y is u n lik e ly to b e a c h ie v e d u n le s s th e p o lic y a n d le g is la t iv e e n v iro n m e n t is s u p p o r t iv e . U n til re c e n tly th is h a s n o t b e e n th e c a s e a n d G o v e rn m e n t p o lic y h a s p r im a r ily fo c u s e d o n e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t a n d p o v e r ty re d u c t io n . B o th th e p o lic y a n d le g is la t iv e e n v iro n m e n t a re m u c h b a s e d o n th e s o c ia l a n d e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t a n d a d v a n c e m e n t o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a . T h e P a p u a N e w G u in e a h ig h e r o rd e r p o lic ie s e m p h a s iz e th e n e e d fo r p ru d e n t e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t w h ile im p ro v in g th e q u a lity o f life o f a ll p e o p le in P a p u a N e w G u in e a w h ile th e le g is la t iv e e n v iro n m e n t m a k e th e p o lic ie s c o n d u c iv e fo r p ro s p e r ity a n d d e v e lo p m e n t w h ic h b o th c o m p le m e n t e a c h o th e r fo r ra is in g th e s ta n d a rd o f liv in g fo r a ll p e o p le . 3.1. In te rn a tio n a l P o lic y C o n te x t P a p u a N e w G u in e a a ls o a im s to im p le m e n t in te rn a tio n a l p o lic y o r c o n v e n tio n s th ro u g h d e f in in g th e m in to P N G c o n te x t a n d im p le m e n t th e m in o rd e r to b e re c o g n iz e d a s a m e m b e r o r p a r t ic ip a n t in th e n e g o tia t io n s in th e in te rn a tio n a l a re n a . S o m e o f th e in te rn a tio n a l c o n v e n tio n s th a t P N G b e c a m e a m a jo r p a r t ic ip a n t a n d th u s e ith e r ra t ify o r b e a s ig n a to ry in c lu d e th e fo llo w in g ; 3.1.1. Millennium Development Goals T h e U n ite d N a tio n s M ille n n iu m D e v e lo p m e n t G o a ls (U N M D G ) a re e ig h t g o a ls th a t a ll 1 9 1 U N m e m b e r s ta te s h a v e a g re e d to try to a c h ie v e b y th e y e a r 2 0 1 5 . T h e U n ite d N a tio n s M il le n n iu m D e c la ra t io n , s ig n e d in S e p te m b e r 2 0 0 0 c o m m its w o r ld le a d e rs to c o m b a t p o v e r ty , h u n g e r , d is e a s e , ill ite ra c y , e n v iro n m e n ta l d e g ra d a tio n , a n d d is c r im in a tio n a g a in s t w o m e n (M e ln ic k , 2 0 0 5 , 1 3 ) . T h e M D G s a re d e r iv e d fro m th is D e c la ra tio n , a n d a ll h a v e s p e c if ic ta r g e ts a n d in d ic a to rs . National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 16 T h e E i g h t M i l l e n n i u m D e v e l o p m e n t G o a l s a r e : i. eradicate extrem e poverty and hunger; ii. achieve universal prim ary education; iii. prom ote gender equality and em pow er w om en; iv. reduce child m ortality; v. im prove m aternal health; vi. com bat H IVjAID S, m alaria, and other diseases; vii. ensure environm ental sustainability; and viii. develop a global partnership for developm ent. The M D G s are inter-dependent; all the M D G influence health and health influences all oth ers. For exam ple, better health enables children to learn and stay fit and healthy. G ender equality is essential to the achievem ent of better health. R educing poverty, hunger and en vironm ental degradation positively influences, but also depends on, better health. 3.1.2. United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) The U nited N ations Fram ew ork C onvention on C lim ate C hange (U N FC C C ) is an international environm ental treaty w hich has taken place in N ew York in 1994 about the issue of clim ate change. The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the at m osphere at a level that w ould prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference w ith the cli m ate system ( T r e x l e r , 1999, 15). D eforestation and forest degradation are m ajor contribu tors to greenhouse gas em issions, through large-scale logging and com m ercial agriculture. These activities continue because the value of forests as carbon sinks and a source of live lihood has not fully recognized. O ne of its first tasks w as to establish national greenhouse gas inventories of greenhouse gas (G H G ) em issions and rem ovals, w hich w ere used to create the 1990 benchm ark levels for accession of Annex I countries to the Kyoto Protocol and for the com m itm ent of those coun tries to G H G reductions. U pdated inventories m ust be regularly subm itted by Annex I coun tries. Papua N ew G uinea as a third largest country w ith intact rainforest w ith other rainfor est countries in the w orld have been successful in placing R ED D + ( R e d u c t i o n i n E m i s s i o n s o f D e f o r e s t a t i o n a n d F o r e s t D e g r a d a t i o n t h r o u g h S u s t a i n a b l e F o r e s t M a n a g e m e n t , C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d E n h a n c e m e n t o f c a r b o n S t o c k ) as a m echanism for discussion in the international negotiations. Since the 15th C onference of Parties (C oP 15) to the U N FC C C , developed coun tries have pledged funds to prepare for R ED D + im plem entation in developing or forest countries to support both m itigation and adaptation of clim ate change. Parties to U N FC C C are classified as: i. Annex I countries: industrialized countries and econom ies in transition ii. Annex II countries: developed countries w hich pay for costs to developing countries iii. N on Annex I countries: D eveloping countries. Annex I countries w hich have ratified the Protocol have com m itted to reduce their em ission levels of greenhouse gasses to targets that are m ainly set below their 1990 levels. They m ay do this by allocating reduced annual allow ances to the m ajor operators w ithin their borders. These operators can only exceed their allocations if they buy em ission allow ances, or offset National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 17 th e ir e x c e s s e s th ro u g h a m e c h a n is m th a t is a g re e d b y a ll th e p a r t ie s to U N F C C C . A n n e x II c o u n tr ie s a re a s u b -g ro u p o f th e A n n e x I c o u n tr ie s . T h e y c o m p r is e th e D E C D m e m b e rs , e x c lu d in g th o s e th a t w e re e c o n o m ie s in tra n s it io n in 1 9 9 2 . D e v e lo p in g c o u n tr ie s a re n o t re q u ire d to re d u c e e m is s io n le v e ls u n le s s d e v e lo p e d c o u n tr ie s s u p p ly e n o u g h fu n d in g a n d te c h n o lo g y . S e tt in g n o im m e d ia te re s tr ic t io n s u n d e r U N F C C C s e rv e s th re e p u rp o s e s : i . i t a v o id s re s tr ic t io n s o n th e ir d e v e lo p m e n t, b e c a u s e e m is s io n s a re s tro n g ly lin k e d to in d u s tr ia l c a p a c ity i i . th e y c a n s e ll e m is s io n s c re d its to n a t io n s w h o s e o p e ra to rs h a v e d if f ic u lty m e e t in g th e ir e m is s io n s ta rg e ts i i i . T h e y g e t m o n e y a n d te c h n o lo g ie s fo r lo w -c a rb o n in v e s tm e n ts fro m A n n e x II c o u n tr ie s . D e v e lo p in g c o u n tr ie s m a y v o lu n te e r to b e c o m e A n n e x I c o u n tr ie s w h e n th e y a re s u ff ic ie n t ly d e v e lo p e d . 3.1.3. United Nations Convention on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration) T h e U n ite d N a tio n s "C o n fe re n c e o n E n v iro n m e n t a n d D e v e lo p m e n t" (U N C E D ), in fo rm a lly k n o w n a s th e E a r th S u m m it w a s ta k e n p la c e in R io in 1 9 9 2 . P a p u a N e w G u in e a 's p a r t ic ip a t io n a t th e R io E a r th S u m m it w a s a n o p p o r tu n ity to re a ff irm o u r c o n s t itu t io n a l c o m m itm e n t to th e c o n c e p t o f in te g ra l h u m a n d e v e lo p m e n t o r h o lis t ic d e v e lo p m e n t, w h ic h is b a s e d o n th e in tr ic a te b a la n c e b e tw e e n m a n a n d th e e n v iro n m e n t a s w e ll a s th e p re s e rv a t io n a n d s u s te n a n c e o f th e s p ir itu a l a n d m o ra l fa b r ic o f th e s o c ie ty . P a p u a N e w G u in e a a c t iv e ly p a r t i c ip a te d in th e U N c o n fe re n c e o n E n v iro n m e n t a n d D e v e lo p m e n t b y v ir tu e o f its m e m b e rs h ip w ith th e U n ite d N a tio n s a n d th ro u g h a s p e c if ic G o v e rn m e n t D ire c t iv e fo r th e c o u n try to b e in v o lv e d in th e c o n fe re n c e (G a b u t. J, 1 9 9 6 ) . T h e R io D e c la ra t io n c o n s is te d o f 2 7 p r in c ip le s in te n d e d to g u id e fu tu re s u s ta in a b le d e v e l o p m e n t a ro u n d th e w o r ld . S o m e o f th e p r in c ip le s c o n ta in e d in th e R io D e c la ra t io n w h ic h a re re le v a n t to P a p u a N e w G u in e a a re a s fo llo w ; i. Role of Humans-Human b e in g s is a t th e c e n tre o f c o n c e rn fo r s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t. T h e y a re e n t it le d to a h e a lth y a n d p ro d u c t iv e life . i i. State Sovere ignty- S ta te s h a v e , in a c c o rd a n c e w ith th e c h a r te r o f th e U n ite d N a tio n s , a n d th e p r in c ip le s o f in te rn a t io n a l la w , th e s o v e re ig n r ig h ts to e x p lo it th e ir o w n re s o u rc e s p u rs u a n t to th e ir o w n e n v iro n m e n ta l a n d d e v e lo p m e n t p o lic ie s , a n d th e re s p o n s ib il ity to e n s u re th a t a c t iv it ie s w ith in th e ir ju r is d ic t io n o r c o n tro l d o n o t c a u s e d a m a g e to th e e n v iro n m e n t o f o th e r s ta te s o r o f a re a s b e y o n d th e lim its o f n a t io n a l ju r is d ic t io n . ii i. Environmenta l P rotection in the Development P rocess- In o rd e r to a c h ie v e s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t, e n v iro n m e n ta l p ro te c t io n s h a ll c o n s t itu te a n in te g ra l p a r t o f d e v e lo p m e n t p ro c e s s c h a in a n d c a n n o t b e c o n s id e re d in is o la t io n fro m it . iv . Eradication of Poverty- A ll s ta te a n d a ll p e o p le s h a ll c o o p e ra te in th e e s s e n t ia l ta s k o f e ra d ic a t in g p o v e r ty a s a n in d is p e n s a b le re q u ire m e n t fo r s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo p m e n t, in National Susta inable Land UsePolicy-20 l2 Page 18 order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world. v. State Cooperation to Protect Ecosystem- State shall cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the world's ecosystem. In view of the different contributions to global environmental degrada tion, states have common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed coun tries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command. vi. Public Partnership- Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at relevant levels. At the national level, each individual have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities and the opportunity to participate to decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making informa tion widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative progressing, in cluding redress and remedy, shall be provided. vii. National Environmental Legislation- States shall enact effective environmental legis lation. Environmental standards, management objectives and priorities should re flect the environmental and developmental context to which they apply. Standards applied in some countries may be inappropriate and of unwarranted economic and social cost to other countries, in particularly developing countries. viii. Compensation for Victims of Pollution and other Environmental Damage- States shall develop national laws regarding liability and compensation for the victims of pollu tion and other environmental damages. States shall also cooperate in an expeditious and more determ ined manner to develop further international law regarding liability and compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within their jurisdiction or control to areas beyond their jurisdiction. ix. State Cooperation to prevent environmental dumping- States should effectively coo perate to discourage or prevent the relocation and transfer to other States of any ac tivities and substances that cause severe environmental degradation or are found to be harmful to human health. x. Precautionary principle- In order to protect the environment, the precautionary ap proach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmen tal degradation. xi. Environmental Impact Assessments- Environmental impact assessment, as a national instrument, shall be undertaken for proposed activities that are likely to have a sig nificant adverse impact on the environment and are subject to a decision of a com petent national authority. xii. Notification of Natural D isaster- States shall immediately notify other States of any natural disasters or other emergencies that are likely to produce sudden harmful ef fects on the environment of those States. Every effort shall be made by the interna tional community to help States so afflicted. xiii. Women have Vital Role- Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 19 I x iv . I n d ig e n o u s P e o p l e s h a v e a V i ta l R o l e - Ind igenous peop le and the ir com m unities and other loca l com m unities have a vita l ro le in environm enta l m anagem ent and deve l opm ent because of the ir know ledge and trad itiona l p ractices. S ta tes shou ld recog n ize and du ly support the ir iden tity , cu ltu re and in te rests and enab le the ir e ffective partic ipa tion in the ach ievem ent o f susta inab le deve lopm ent. xv. R e s o lu t i o n o f E n v i r o n m e n ta l D i s p u t e s - S ta tes sha ll reso lve a ll the ir env ironm enta l d ispu tes peacefu lly and by appropria te m eans in accordance w ith the C harte r o f the U n ited N ations. xv i. C o o p e r a t i o n b e tw e e n S ta t e a n d P e o p l e - S ta tes and peop le sha ll coopera te in good fa ith and in a sp irit o f partnersh ip in the fu lfillm ent o f the princ ip les em bod ied in th is D ecla ra tion and in the fu rther deve lopm ent o f in te rna tiona l law in the fie ld o f sus ta inab le deve lopm ent. 3.1.4. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) The C onvention on B io log ica l D ivers ity w as signed at t h e E a r th S u m m i t , w hich took p lace in 1992, a t the U n ited N ations C onference on E nvironm ent and D eve lopm ent in R io de Jane iro , B raz il. It is the firs t g loba l agreem ent on the conserva tion and susta inab le use of b io log ica l d ivers ity . The trea ty recogn izes - fo r the firs t tim e - tha t the conserva tion o f b io log ica l d i vers ity is a c o m m o n c o n c e r n o f h u m a n k in d and is an in tegra l part o f the deve lopm ent process. Im portan tly , the C onvention is lega lly b ind ing ; countries tha t jo in it a re ob liged to im p lem ent its prov is ions. U p to the present m om ent, 168 countries have signed the C on vention . B io log ica l resources are genetic resources, o rgan ism s or parts thereo f, popu la tions, o r any o ther b io tic com ponent o f ecosystem s w ith actua l o r po ten tia l use or va lue fo r hum an ity . G enetic m ateria l re fe rs to any m ateria l o f p lan t, an im a l, m icrob ia l o r o ther orig in conta in ing functions un its o f hered ita ry . In -s itu cond ition are cond itions w here genetic resources exis t w ith in ecosystem s and natura l hab ita ts , and in the case of dom estica ted or cu ltiva ted spe c ies, in the surround ings w here they have deve loped the ir d is tinctive properties ( J o h n G e n o la g a n i , 2 0 0 9 ) . S usta inab le use re fe rs to the use of com ponents o f b io log ica l d ivers ity in a w ay and at a ra te tha t does not lead to the long term decline o f b io log ica l d ivers ity , thereby m ain ta in ing its po ten tia l to m eet the needs and asp ira tions o f present and fu tu re genera tions. E cosystem s and hab ita ts con ta in ing h igh d ivers ity , la rge num bers o f endem ic or th rea tened species, o r w ilderness; requ ired by m igra to ry , species o f soc ia l, econom ic, cu ltu ra l o r sc ien tific im portance ; or, w h ich are representa tive , un ique or associa ted w ith key evo lu tionary or o ther b io log ica l p rocesses; species and com m unities w h ich are th rea tened w ild re la tives o f dom estica ted or cu ltiva ted species; o f m ed ic ina l, agricu ltu ra l o r o ther, econom ic va lue ; o r soc ia l, sc ien tific o r cu ltu ra l im portance ; or im portance for research in to the conserva tion and susta inab le use of b io log ica l d ivers ity , such as ind ica to r species; and described genom es and genes of soc ia l, sc ien tific o r econom ic im portance . B iod ivers ity conserva tion is the m anagem ent o f hum an use of organ ism s or ecosystem s to ensure the use of p lan ts , an im a ls and ecosystem s is susta inab le , and the m anagem ent o f genetic , species and ecosystem s variab ility . Th is prim arily invo lves the m ain tenance, pro tec tion , rehab ilita tion , and enhancem ent o f na tu ra l env ironm ents tha t a re s ign ifican tly unm o d ified by hum an activ ities. Threa ts to b io log ica l d ivers ity th rough exp lo ita tive deve lopm ent National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 20 mean that development is incompatib le w ith conservation objectives, which causes erosion in biodiversity values. Therefore the need to conserve biological diversity for tangible devel opment lies in the hands of all individuals. One of the conservation processes that highlights the conservation of biological diversity is the introduction of ICAD. ICAD is the process of integrating conservation and development, to meet resource holders' social and econom ic development needs and aspirations, while meeting conservation objectives (John Duguman, 2009). The ICAD process is a complex approach aimed at realizing tangible social and eco nom ic benefits from conservation management as a means of establishing sustainable con servation incentives. PNG boasts some 15-21,000 higher plants, 3,000 species of orchids, 800 species of coral, 600 species of fish, 250 species of mammals and 760 species of birds and 8 species of tree kangaroos out of which 84 genera of animals are endem ic (John Genolagan i,2009). Ecosys tems range from low land forests to montane forests, alp ine flora down to coastal areas which contains some of the most extensive pristine mangrove areas in the world. Much of this biodiversity has remained intact for thousands of years because the ruggedness of the terrain made the interior lands inaccessible; furthermore low population density and restric tions on the effectiveness of traditional tools, ensured that these biodiversity was never overexploited. Even though this biodiversity is on just 1% of the world land mass, it has both global and lo cal value. Most ofthe ecosystem service provided by the forests and oceans (e.g. water cycl ing, carbon cycling) is impartia l to political boundaries. W ithin the country, about 85% of the PNG population's depend on the biological resource to sustain their physical, spiritual and social livelihoods. The biological resources are a source of food, build ing materia l, medicine for m inor ailments, logs for canoes. The traditional society revered, and respected nature because it was considered a gift from some ancestor". Currently, the harvesting of natural resource for export is a source of income that sustains the modern PNG economy. The PNG government recognized the relationship between the people and nature and at independence, provision was made in the constitution for " ...a ll necessary steps to be taken to give adequate protection to all our valued birds, animals, fish, insects, plants and trees". Currently, biodiversity is explicitly protected by the follow ing legislation: Fauna Act/1982, Conservation areas Act/1980, 1992, the Crocod ile Trade Act/1982 and the In ternationa l T rade Act/1982. The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is the government agency responsible for biodiversity conservation. The PNG government's effort to conserve biodiversity is supported by international envi ronment conservation and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The major government research organizations include the Forestry Research Institute (FRI), and the National Agri culture Research Institute (NARI). The government owned universities: the University of Pa pua New Guinea (UPNG) and the University of Technology (UNITECH) also contribute to novel researches into the PNG biodiversity. The government research organizations tend to place emphasis on species w ith econom ical value to PNG. The NGOs, on the other hand are the driving force for biodiversity conservation for the sake of conservation. The major inter national NGO 's assisting in biodiversity conservation includes; i. Conservation International (C I), ii. The Binatang Research Centre (BRC), Nationa l Susta inab le Land UsePolicy-20 l2 Page 21 iii. W ildlife Conservation Society (W CS), W orldwide Fund for Nature (W W F) iv. The Nature Conservancy (TNC). v. Indigenous PNG NGO's which had active conservation programmes (Conservation Melanesia, vi. Melanesian Environment Foundation, vii. PNG Research & Conservation Foundation, viii. Village Development Trust, ix. Pacific Heritage Foundation, x. Partners with Melanesia The effort by the PNG government to protect biodiversity has resulted in 44 existing terre strial protected areas using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Nat ural Resources (IUCN) categories. These protected areas account for 1.6% of the total land area (John Genolagani, 2009). A study of biodiversity identified a further 398 areas as candi dates for conservation. This would increase the total protected areas to 16.8% of the total country area. Included in the PNG protected area list, but not formally recognized by IUCN is the terrestrial W ildlife Management Area (W MA). W MA is an Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICAD), which seeks to conserve biological diversity by involving lan downers. The idea behind the project is that income generating activities, from the biologi cal diversity would encourage people living in these areas to conserve, because such projects would link the value of these resources to living standard and also access to mar kets. The progress of W MA's is yet to be evaluated. Papua New Guinea's first conservation area, the YUS Conservation Area, was established in 2009 on the Huon Peninsula, Morobe Province. Apart from local conservation efforts, PNG is also a signatory to international conventions and treaties. These international treaties in clude; i. The International Plant Protection Convention (1951), ii. The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other matter (1972); iii. The convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES); iv. The RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (1992); v. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. PNG is also in partnership with other nations in the Oceania region and is a signatory to the regional convention, The Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (APIA Convention). PNG has two listed RAMSAR sites: Lake Kutubu and Tonda W ildlife Manage ment Area (John Duguman, 2009). 3.1.5. United Nations Convention on Human Settlement The United Nations Conference on Human Settlement (Habitat II) was held in Istanbul, Tur key in 1996. The convention proposed for community of nations reviews its collective vision and responsibility of the future of living conditions, and agreed on a new Habitat Agenda which is expected to guide national and international action on human settlements. It has become evident to the world community that comprehensive and far reaching actions is ur gently needed to secure a health, safe and equitable living environment for which a com National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 22 mitment of all interested parties on a sustained basis is required. Recognizing the global na ture of the issues concerning human settlements, the convention decided that a concerted global approach could greatly enhance progress towards achieving the goals of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlement development in an urbanizing world. National and global commitments were made to improve the living conditions of the world's population through the development implementation strategies and policies on; i. Land use ii. Housing iii. Urbanization iv. Sustainability and environmental impact of human habitation v. Human rights vi. Social development vii. Access for and role of women in the development of communities. 3.2. National Policy Context i. Policies that guide the processes of Development ii. Policies that guide the spatial impact of development Papua New Guinea's national policies which include all the higher order policies envisioned the future development pathways of Papua New Guinea and thus anticipated for develop ment that will bring prosperity in the lives of all people. The National Sustainable Land Use Policy is an over-arching and a higher order policy that will deal with the use, allocation, and management of land and land resources in Papua New Guinea. It influences the spatial de velopment across Papua New Guinea. The planning system in Papua New Guinea offers three separate processes to assess sus tainable land use in the country. The processes have attempted to address sustainable de velopment. At a higher level of policy and planning where macro level policy issues are tackled, the focus has been in correcting the process of development in the country. This began with the adoption of the National Constitution and Directive Principles which sets the vision for a desirable society in Papua New Guinea in the future. The other higher order pol icies which establish the framework for development processes in Papua New Guinea are the Vision 2050, Development Strategic Plan, National Protected Area Policy and National Urbanization Policy. 3.2.1. The National Constitution The Constitution contains the PNG National Goals. These include; i. Integral Human Development; ii. Equality and Participation; iii. National Sovereignty and Self Reliance iv. Natural Resources and Environment; v. Papua New Guinea Ways National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 23 The 4 th Goal emphasized that, "Papua New Guinea/s natura l resource and environment should be conserved and used for the collective benefit o f a ll and should be replen ish for the future generations". W e accord ing ly ca ll for i. W ise use to be made for our natura l resources and the environment in and on the land or seabed, in the sea, under the land, and in the air, in the interest of our devel opment and in trust for fu ture generations. ii. The conservation and replen ishment, for the benefits of ourse lves and posterity of the environment and its sacred, scenic and historica l qualities; and iii. A ll necessary steps to be taken to give adequate protection from development so that the quality and the quantity of the land and its resources are mainta ined at a ll tim es. 3.2.2. Vision 2050 This policy document a im s to promote development in terms of econom ic advancement from now till 2050. It a im s to allevia te poverty through strateg ic p lanning and collaborations as mentioned in its seven planning areas which are regarded as pillars. These include; i. Human Capita l Development, Gender, Youth and People Empowerment; ii. W ealth C reation; iii. Institu tional Development and Service Delivery; iv. Security and International Relations; v. Environmenta l Susta inability and C limate Change, vi. Spiritua l, Cultura l and Community Development; v ii. S tra teg ic P lanning, In tegration and Contro l. Th is framework is long-term which maps the future direction of Papua New Guinea as it re flects the aspira tion of the people. P illars that underp ins land and its resources use includes; i. W ealth creation ii. Institu tional development and service delivery iii. Environmenta l susta inability and climate change iv. S trateg ic p lanning, in tegration and contro l Papua New Guinea has the capacity to improve its socio-econom ic development status through its land and resource usage. Land use planning is the key component in successfu lly achieving the objective. The V ision 2050 aims to transform the lives of the people to make sure they live a decent and healthy lifesty le . The new developments w ill d irect for econom ic advancement at a desirab le rate thus promoting better service delivery, improve health and education and a sound politica l leadersh ip and structure. 3.2.3. Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030 The Development S trateg ic P lan is a development framework that is in tended to promote and guide Papua New Guinea onto a path of susta inable econom ic grow th, achieving eco nom ic prosperity and a high quality of life for a ll Papua New Guineans. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 24 The Deve lopm ent S tra teg ic P lan is an in tegra l po licy docum ent tha t cons iders a ll ob jectives and stra teg ies in te rm s o f how they w ill con tribu te to the v is ion o f PNG 's prosperity . It is the re fo re ab le to gu ide deve lopm ent by enab ling how best to u tilize scarce resources and by focus ing deve lopm ent e ffo rts on po licy a reas w ith the grea test po ten tia l. The 20 year deve lopm ent s tra tegy se ts long te rm goa ls and ta rge ts tha t w ill gu ide deve lop m ent p lann ing and im portan tly , w ill se t the prio rities fo r deve lopm ent expend itu re . In do ing so , it d ism antles the dom inance o f short-te rm , annua l budge ts over the a lloca tion o f re sources. Its fo rm u la tion is there fo re a h is to ric m oment in PNG 's deve lopm ent. The Deve l opm ent S tra teg ic P lan ou tlines where PNG is now , it p rov ides ta rge ts o f where PNG w ill be in 2030 and it ou tlines how PNG w ill ge t to its 2030 ta rge ts . 3.2.4. Medium Term Development Plan The Med ium Term Deve lopm ent S tra tegy is a five year p lan tha t p rov ides stra teg ies to gu ide and d irect the long te rm p lann ing processes to ach ieve the des ired ou tcom es o f the Papua New Guinea Deve lopm ent P lan 2010-2030 and the V is ion 2050 . It se ts the secto r s tra teg ies, ta rge ts and de live rab les and the ir p ro jected estim ated costs o f im p lem enta tion . The MTDP is a im ed at trans la ting the Papua New Guinea Deve lopm ent S tra teg ic P lan 2010-2030 in to tang ib le resu lts . It a lso takes in to accoun t the lessons learn t and experience from the prev i ous M ed ium Term Deve lopm ent S tra tegy 2005-2010 . The MTDP outlines the spec ific p layers who w ill be respons ib le fo r ach iev ing key de live rab les. It s treng thens the Nationa l G overn m ent's ab ility to m on ito r and eva lua te investm ents over the com ing years during the life o f the PNG DSP 2010-2030 . The M ed ium Term Deve lopm ent P lan 2010-2015 now becom es the touchstone fo r a ll sec to ra l, p rov inc ia l, d is tric t and loca l leve l governm ent p lans. It describes the resource enve lope w ith in wh ich the Nationa l G overnm ent w ill opera te fo r the next five years . It se ts ou t c lea rly wha t is to be ach ieved by Nationa l G overnm ent Expend itu re . It p rov ides bo th d irec tion and accoun tab ility fo r a ll secto r activ ities . The MTDP 2010-2015 pu lls toge ther the who le o f the na tion in a team effo rt to rea lise the V is ion 2050 . 3.2.5. National Land Development Program The broader perspective o f land re fo rm is fo r deve lopm ent and poverty reduction . Conse quen tly , the a im of land re fo rm is to e ffec tive ly use land fo r econom ic deve lopm ent and to pro tect the righ ts o f the vu lnerab le sections o f the commun ity . Th is requ ires the Govern m ent to have a fo rward look ing stra tegy on land po licy , land use p lann ing fo r custom ary and sta te -owned land and to adequa te ly in fo rm peop le o f land re fo rm im p lica tions. The hom e grown land re fo rm program has a num ber o f s ign ifican t ou tcom es. These inc lude ; i. Am endment o f the Land G roup Incorpora tion and Land Reg is tra tion Act tha t now enab les custom ary land to be reg is te red and leased fo r deve lopm ent purposes by the landowners. ii. The estab lishm ent o f a Land Court D iv is ion and appo in tm ent o f a Deputy Ch ie f M ag is tra te Lands D iv is ion a t the M ag is te ria l Serv ices. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 25 I I . iii. The establishm ent of C ustom ary Lands D ivision and appointm ent of a D eputy Secre tary-C ustom ary Lands at the D epartm ent of Lands and Physical Planning. iv. Preparation of a N ational Land D evelopm ent agenda under the PN G D evelopm ent Strategic Plan 2010-2030 and M edium Term D evelopm ent Plan. v. D evelopm ent of a N ational Land fram ew ork by the N ational R esearch Institute to guide research on land developm ent initiatives and related issues in Papua N ew G uinea. vi. Building of a new office com plex for the D epartm ent of lands and Physical Planning. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 26 Table.l. summarizes the above discussion. Higher Order Primary Focus Target Tools Source of Policy Used legitimacy Deve lopm en t G u id ing P rinc ip les G ove rnm en t- N a tiona l P o lic ies N a tiona l C ons titu G oa ls & d irec tivE fo r po licy & p lan - P eop le D eve lopm en t tion p rinc ip les n ing P lans Leg is la tions V is ion 2050 T rans la tion o f G u id - G ove rnm en t- N a tiona l P o lic ies N a tiona l ing P rinc ip les to Peop le D eve lopm en t C ons titu tion o f P a ach ievab le deve l P lans pua N ew G u inea opm en t goa ls 40 Leg is la tion P ro yea r tim e fram e g ram s Na tiona l S us Env ironm en t & De- Env ironm en t S us- C omm on fram e In te rna tiona l C on ta inab le D eve l ve lopm en t ta inab il- w o rk o f ac tion b ven tion , UNCED opm en t S tra tegy tY ,E conom ic Sus coun trie s ta inab ility S oc ia l S us ta inab ility D eve lopm en t E conom ic C o rrido rs 10 E conom ic C o r- Im pac t p ro jec ts S tra teg ic S tra teg ic P lan o f D eve lopm en t fo r rido rs o f D eve l- s tra teg ica lly 10 - P lann ing ( B udge t 2010 -2030 Equ itab le D eve lop - opm en t ca ted on econom - C en te red P lann ing ) m en t ic C o rrido rs N a tiona l U rba - To gu ide the H ie ra rchy o f C itie s U rban P lann ing Phys ica l P lann ing n iza tion Po licy p rocess o f deve l- o f C itie s in the A c t opm en t C oun try UNFCCC T rans la te In te rna - 194 C oun trie s w ho P ro toco ls In te rna tiona l C on tiona l C onven tion to a re s igna to ries to C on fe rence o f a ll ven tion add ress c lim a te the trea ty pa rtie s T rea ty change in the coun P ro toco ls (no lega lly try b ind ing ). UNDP M illen - In te rna tiona l M DG se ts 20 ta r- F ram ework fo r In te rna tiona l C on n ium Deve lop - A g reem en t trans - ge ts and ove r 60 the deve lopm en t ven tion m en t G oa ls la ted in to 20 ta rge ts ind ica to rs ac tiv itie s and ove r 60 ind ica to rs N a tiona l P ro - P ro tec tion o f the C onse rva tion Leg is la tion C onse rva tions A c t tec ted A rea Env ironm en t A rea R egu la tions ,Fauna (P ro tec tion Po licy S tanda rds & Con tro l A c t), N a G u ide lines tiona l P a rks A c t S us ta inab le The U se o f Land and A lloca te Leg is la tion Phys ica l P lann ing Land U se Land R esou rces in D eve lop S tra teg ic land U se A c t P o licy PNG M anage P lan Env ironm en t A c t U se National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 27 4. INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT 4.1. Department of Lands and Physical P lanning The identification of suitable management agencies to facilitate sustainable land use is the first purpose of the National Sustainable Land Use Policy. The current agencies focus only on one aspect of land use. The need to balance the planning system and plan for the best use of land is through focusing on the current land use pattern and thus plan for the future. There is a need for physical planning to establish suitable agencies to promote and facilitate physical planning activities throughout the country. There has to be changes in the process by which land use planning is assessed and monitored in the country (National Framework for Physical Planning 2007-2037). We need to amend existing legislations which w ill enable us to align the functions of physical planning to the NSLUP framework. We need to maintain the existing physical planning and Environment legislative framework and further maintain the existing mandate for physical planning and environment and conservation. 4.1.1. Physical Planning Organizational Structure The existing structure of the Physical P lanning function is a three tiered structure consisting of the O ffice of the Chief Physical P lanner and National Capita l D istrict Physical P lanning O f fice at the national level, whilst at the regional level and extended physical planning func tions of the O ffice of the Chief Physical planner has established four regional office whereby their role is to coordinate the activities of development planning and assessment w ithin those four regions. At the Provincial level, devolution of the Physical P lanning powers and functions are done through the establishment of Provincial Physical P lanning Boards and Offices. The institutional frameworks required for exercise of physical planning responsibilities at the National, Provincial and Corporate levels are as follows; M inister (Nationallevell responsible for Physical P lanning For processing of policy through to the NEC and for appointments to statutory boards at all levels, and exercise of statutory responsibilities. Provincial Executive Councils and Comm ittee Chairman For exercise of decentralized statutory responsibilities Chief Physical P lanner W ith responsibilities for adm inistration of the legislation, recommendations and conversion of policies into strategies and programs for implementation National Physical P lanning Board For processing a statutory matters of the national interest including those matters where a provincial board is not yet established or is under suspension for an interim period. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 28 P rov in c ia l P hys ica l P lann ing B oa rds Fo r the exe rc ise o f s ta tu to ry re spons ib ilit ie s in m a tte rs o f the p rov in c ia l in te re s t and in an adv iso ry capac ity fo r m a tte rs o f the na tiona l in te re s t P hys ica l P lann ing A ppea ls T ribuna l F o r ad jud ica tio n and re fe rra l to the M in is te r fo r a dec is ion on a ll m a tte rs appea led aga in s t in re spec t o f dec is ions o r no tice s issued unde r the A c t. N a tiona l- le ve l O ffice o f P hys ica l P lann ing To g ive e ffe c t to a range o f re spons ib ilit ie s and ob lig a tio ns o f the C h ie f P hys ica l P lanne r, th is w ill in c lude a num be r o f sepa ra te un its and reg iona l o ffice s to ca rry ou t spec ific se ts o f func tio n s . N a tiona l-com p rise s the O ffice o f the C h ie f P hys ica l P lanne r w h ich a lso houses the PNG Appea ls T ribuna l (PNG AT ) and the N a tiona l P hys ica l P lann ing B oa rd (N PPB ) and the deve l opm en t m a tte rs tha t a rise as the na tiona l in te re s t is ta ken ca re o f b y th is o ffice . P rov in c ia l P hys ica l P lann ing O ffice s Th is is re spons ib le to P rov in c ia l A dm in is tra tio n in m a tte rs o f phys ica l deve lopm en t and ad m in is tra tive suppo rt fo r P rov in c ia l P hys ica l P lann ing B oa rds . P rov in c ia l - com p rise s o f the P rov in c ia l A dm in is tra tio ns and a lso the P rov in c ia l P hys ica l P lann ing B oa rd . W ha teve r deve l opm en t issue tha t a rise s in the P rov in ce is ta ken ta ke o ff b y these tw o bod ie s . H ow eve r, if th e y th in k tha t the issue a t hand is o f na tio na l in te re s t then it is re comm ended and b rough t fo rw a rd to the N a tiona l P hys ica l P lann ing B oa rd fo r fu rthe r de lib e ra tio ns . 4 .1 .1 .1 . P hys ica l P lann ing in H eadqua rte rs T he O ffice o f the C h ie f P hys ica l P lanne r is re spons ib le fo r the m a in tenance o f the p ro fe s s iona l s tanda rds th roughou t the coun try as its p rim a ry re spons ib ilit ie s is fo r the adm in is tra tio n o f the P hys ica l P lann ing leg is la tio n , re comm enda tions and conve rs ion o f po lic ie s in to s tra teg ie s and p rog ram fo r im p lem en ta tio n . It is m ade up o f th ree un its ; 4.1.1.1.1. Physical Planning Policy Unit A c tiv itie s p re fo rm ed w ith in th is un it in c lude ; i. F ac ilita te and encou rage a ho lis tic app roach in p lann ing to gu ide sus ta inab le land use fo r e conom ic , soc ia l and env ironm en t pu rposes . ii. E s tab lish and m a in ta in no rm s o f pe rfo rm ances in qua lity and quan tity o f w o rk p ro g ramm ed by each phys ica l p lann ing o ffice . iii. M on ito r the ou tpu t o f phys ica l p lann ing o ffice s na tionw ide and repo rt to the C h ie f P hys ica l P lanne r acco rd ing ly . iv . E s tab lish and ope ra te a reg iona l base suppo rt sys tem to ca rry ou t the in spec to ra te ac tiv itie s . v . E s tab lish a fram ew o rk o f p ro fe ss iona l and P rocedu ra l A dv ice and upda te the P hys ica l P lann ing M anue l and its u se and p repa re c ircu la rs from tim e to tim e . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 29 vi. Offer advice and support, on request from Physical Planning offices on the operation of the Physical Planning System and interpretation of the Physical Planning legisla tion. vii. In association with Development Planning, contribute to the consistency and conti nuity of physical development plans nationwide. viii. Identify training needs and prepare programmes by way of identifying shortcomings in professional performances ix. Prepare and conduct workshops and seminars to contribute to improvement of workings of the Physical Planning Systems nationwide and undertake specific train ing nationwide. x. Promote systems improvement by way of contributing to the preparation of im proved Physical Planning Regulations and recommend on areas and subjects requir ing improved policy formulation or better programming for implementation. xi. It has 9 professional staff headed by the Manager-Physical Planning Policy. 4.1.1.1.2. Development Planning Unit i. Facilitate the preparation, monitoring and review of development plans with full par ticipation by provinces for approval by the Provincial Physical planning Boards. ii. Responsible for contributing towards the promotion of best use of land in PNG by undertaking land use analysis and future requirements, social economic research, population and land usage projections as well as evaluations of the effects of political priorities in the Physical Planning related sector. iii. Supervision of Physical Development plans and the establishment of nationwide framework of development. iv. Give specific advice on physical planning impacts and liaise with other sectors to promoted coordinated sustainable development. v. Review the applicability and effectiveness of physical planning legislation for the pur pose of development promotion and management. vi. Assist staff programs in matters of policy, research and development planning and re search into the preparation of development plans. vii. It has 13 positions headed by the manager-Development Planning. 4.1.1.1.3. Development Assessment Unit i. Facilitate the process for the consideration of planning matters by Physical Plan ning Boards to ensure that land use and built environment is in accordance with the Development Planning frameworks and Zoning plans. ii. Provides executive, professional and secretariat support for the National Physi cal Planning Board. iii. Provide central coordination for the preparation of agenda items, inclusive of planning applications submitted via provincial offices to the NPPB. iv. Identify planning applications which may be determined under delegated pow ers, process the submissions as appropriate, and inform applicants accordingly. v. Prepare appeals statements on behalf of the NPPB to elaborate the decisions of the Board in the event that Appeals are lodged against decisions of the Board. vi. Support the Physical Planning Appeals Tribunal by way of providing professional, executive and secretariat support and maintain records of Appeals, Processes National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 30 and Dec is ions and lia ise w ith the o ffice o f the M in is te r fo r s ta tu to ry dec is ions on Appea ls . v ii. A ss is t in the p repa ra tion o f p lann ing p roposa ls v iii. M a in ta in D eve lopm en t C on tro l and Zon ing R eco rds . ix . M a in ta in and upda te a fu ll se t o f adequa te and accu ra te zon ing p lans fo r a ll P hys ica l P lann ing A reas na tionw ide . x . M a in ta in a reg is te r and files o f a ll app lica tions o f p lann ing pe rm iss ion lodged w ith the Boa rd in the na tiona l in te res t, and reg is te r dec is ions and no tices issued in the p rov inces and unde r de lega ted powers and repo rt to the NPPB acco rd ing ly . 4.1.1.2. Regional Physical Planning Offices Estab lish and ope ra te a reg iona l base suppo rt sys tem to ca rry ou t the inspec to ra te ac tiv i tie s . The re a re fou r reg iona l P hys ica l P lann ing O ffices based in ; i. G o roka -H igh lands R eg ion ii. P o rt M o resby-Sou the rn R eg ion iii. K okopo -Is lands R eg ion iv . Lae -M om ase Reg ion The ro les o f R eg iona l P hys ica l P lann ing o ffices a re to es tab lish and m a in ta in no rm s o f pe r fo rm ance in qua lity and quan tity o f w o rk p rog ramm ed by each Phys ica l P lann ing O ffice w ith in the reg ion . The reg iona l o ffice a lso m on ito rs the ou tpu t o f P hys ica l P lann ing O ffices na tionw ide and repo rt to the C h ie f P hys ica l P lanne r acco rd ing ly . W here p rov inces w ith in the reg ion do no t have an es tab lished P rov inc ia l P hys ica l p lann ing Boa rd and O ffice , it is the respons ib ility o f the Phys ica l p lanne rs in the reg ion to ass is t in p lann ing m a tte rs . W here a deve lopm en t p lan is unde r p repa ra tion , the R eg iona l D eve lop m en t P lanne r m ust assess the need fo r the p repa ra tion o f the deve lopm en t p lan and the inpu t p rov ided shou ld inc lude the p repa ra tion o f the Te rm s o f R e fe rence o f the deve lop m en t p lan be fo re it is subm itted to the N a tiona l P hys ica l p lann ing Boa rd . In case whe re ap p lican ts w ith in the respec tive p rov inces w ith in the reg ion subm itting the ir app lica tions fo r phys ica l p lann ing pe rm iss ions , the app lica tion shou ld be accom pan ied w ith a p lann ing re po rt by the reg iona l p lanne r based on the inves tiga tions he has conduc ted . 4.1.1.3. Provincial Physical Planning Offices The Phys ica l P lann ing A ct 1989 p rov ides fo r the es tab lishm en t o f the P rov inc ia l P hys ica l P lann ing Boa rds and the ir suppo rt o ffice . The re a re 22 p rov inces in the coun try and each P rov ince is requ ired to es tab lish its boa rd and a o ffice to suppo rt phys ica l p lann ing ac tiv itie s in the p rov inces . The P rim a ry func tions o f the P rov inc ia l P hys ica l P lann ing O ffice inc lude ; i. Fo rw a rd p lann ing to assess and repo rt to the phys ica l deve lopm en t and soc io econom ic cha rac te ris tics and p ro jec ted needs to be in re levan t a reas . ii. A ss is t in com p iling da ta and ana lyz ing the popu la tion (s ize , d is tribu tion . p ro jec tions) iii. C a rry ou t su rveys o f use o f land and co llec tion o f o the r in fo rm a tion w h ich con tri bu tes to the p repa ra tion o r rev iew o f phys ica l deve lopm en t p lans . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 31 iv. Contribute to the preparation of the physical development plans in the provincial in terest and plays a major supervision role. v. Prepare local policies and strategies on land mobilization, site identification, and provision of employment opportunities, density and type of development, environ ment amenity, provision of infrastructure and social facilities. vi. Prepare site-specific design briefs, town centre and neighborhood plans to deal with urban design, landscaping, vehicle and pedestrian circulation and separation, car parking and environment amenity. vii. Responsible for development control by way of guiding future uses of land to ap proved zoning plans. viii. Survey and report on unauthorized use of land and development of land within the physical planning area. ix. Prepare and screen sub-division plans for infill and urban expansion according to de velopment plans which are approved or under preparation. x. On behalf of the Chief Physical Planner, issues Certificate of Conforming Use and deemed Planning Permission to facilitate those planning proposals which are auto matically exempted from board decision making processes. xi. Exercise other powers and functions as delegated by relevant Physical Planning Board and the Chief Physical Planner. xii. Promote the use of Section 81 Agreements to ensure the Planning Gain is achieved as and when major development projects take place. xiii. Promote the preservation and enhancement of environment amenity including the preservation of trees, planting of trees and identification of Conservation Areas. xiv. Provides Statutory Authority support to the Provincial Physical Planning Boards. xv. Register applications for Planning Permission and prepare Case Reports for consider ation of the Boards. xvi. Provide executive and professional support for Local and provincial Physical Planning Boards. xvii. Prepare representations to elaborate upon Board's decisions in the Appeals are lodged against decisions of the Boards. xviii. Maintain adequate and accurate zoning plans for the relevant physical planning area. xix. Liaise with Regional Lands Administrators, Regional Valuers, Regional Surveyors and Provincial Administrators on matters of consecutive line activities in land use sector. xx. Provide information to and solicit advice from the Regional Physical Planning Inspec torate on any matter related to physical planning statutory responsibilities. xxi. Carry out any duties, functions or activities which are compatible with the role of Physical planning Offices as identified in the professional advice from time to time. 4.1.2. Recommended for Improved Management Agency The recommended agency or body to implement the National Sustainable Land Use Policy will be the Department of Lands and Physical Planning through the Office of the Chief Physi cal Planner. The implementation of the Physical Planning Legislation and the National Sus tainable Land Use Policy is a complex professional and administrative responsibility which is shared between both National and Provincial Administration. The task involves building the National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 32 institutional capacity at the National, Provincial and Local levels of Government to do for ward planning and development control throughout the country. There are 22 Provinces in the country and each of the Provinces should have; i. A Physical Planning Office with adequate staff to support the operation ii. Appointed a qualified Senior Physical Planner who is to administer the Physical Plan ning Act in the Province. iii. Adequate funding for the operation of the Provincial Physical Planning Board. iv. Adequate technical and administrative support to effectively carry out Physical Plan ning functions. v. The necessary equipment and resources to conduct its normal activities. Diagram 1:Proposed Physical Planning Organizational Structure . Chief Physical Planner Deputy Chief Deputy Chief Physical Physical Planner Planner PLANNING DEVELOPMENT Research and •• National Land Regional Plan- National Plan- Policy Division Use Information~ . ning Division ning Division Division Development Plan Legal Planning and ning Division Regulatory Division Provincial Inspectorate & Board Establish- Legal services National Statutory Planning Unit Standards Unit ment Unit Unit Authority Unit 5. THEMATIC POLICY AREAS In order to achieve sustainable land use planning, land use, physical and related planning activities shall proceed within the principles that support the allocation and use of land and water resources with due regard to their sustainability. The National Sustainable Land Use Policy has five major areas for sustainable development. These principles include; sustaina National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 33 b le econom ic deve lopment, food security , b iod ivers ity and w ild life conservation and dep le tion of fin ite resources to be managed. 5.1. Sustainable Economic Development Development ind ica tors show a lack of equ itab le deve lopment in income distribu tions pat te rns. W e need to deve lop a dynam ic urban industria l sector and a dynam ic agricu ltu re sec tor to promote urban and rura l deve lopment. Furthermore, increase the leve l o f production and productiv ity in agricu ltu re , fo rest, m in ing industry and tourism sector in order to ad dress existing supp ly gaps, increasing demands from the peop le and the ir consumption le ve ls and thus increase comple tion from the fore ign investors. Ach ieving susta inab le econom ic grow th many d ispersed income-earn ing activ ities and op portun ities through promoting a strong, stab le and productive economy that a im s to bring jobs and prosperity for a ll by; i. Recogn iz ing that econom ic deve lopment can de liver socia l and environmenta l bene fits . ii. Recogn iz ing the w ider provinc ia" d istric t and nationa l benefits o f econom ic deve l opment and consider these a long side any adverse loca l im pacts. iii. Ensuring that su itab le locations are ava ilab le for industria" commercia l, re ta il, pub lic sector (e .g . hea lth and education , tourism and le isure deve lopment, so that the economy can proper; iv . P rovid ing for im proved productiv ity , cho ice and competition , particu larly when techno logy and other requ irements of modern business are chang ing rap id ly . v. Recogn iz ing that a ll loca l econom ies are sub ject to change; there fore p lann ing shou ld be sensitive to these changes and the im plica tion of deve lopment and grow th . Active ly promote and facilita te good qua lity deve lopment, wh ich is susta in ab le and consistent w ith the ir p lans. v i. Ensuring the provis ion of suffic ien t, good qua lity new homes (inc lud ing appropria te m ix of housing and adequate leve l o f a ffo rdab le housing) in su itab le locations, whether through new deve lopments or the convers ion of existing bu ild ings. Th is w ill a im to ensure that everyone has the opportun ity o f a decent home, in locations that is conven ient. v ii. Ensuring that in frastructure and serv ices are provided to support new and existing econom ic deve lopment and housing; v iii. Ensuring that deve lopment p lans take account o f the nationa l econom ic deve lop ment stra teg ies; ix . Identify ing opportun ities for fu ture investment to de liver econom ic deve lopment ob jectives. Papua New Guinea w ill no t continue to re ly on extractive industries to drive its economy and as such susta inab le options are necessary for the fu ture deve lopment o f the country. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 34 Deve lopment S tra teg ic P lan 2010-2030 is a long-te rm deve lopment fram ework wh ich is in tended to promote and gu ide PNG onto a path o f susta inab le econom ic grow th , ach iev ing econom ic prosperity and a h igh qua lity o f life fo r a ll Papua New Guineans. It is an in tegra l po licy document tha t considers a ll ob jectives and stra teg ies in te rm s of how they w ill con tribu te to the vis ion o f PNG 's prosperity . It thereby gu ide deve lopment by gu id ing how best to u tilize scarce resources and by focusing deve lopment e ffo rts on po licy areas w ith grea t po ten tia l. Econom ic corridors are reg ions in wh ich the government prov ides a well p lanned zon ing sys tem , a comprehensive and effective network o f transport and utilities and qua lity education and hea lth serv ices. Econom ic corridors are proposed to a llev ia te poverty and transform the lives o f the peop le in Papua New Guinea. W ithout the corridor system the peop le who have a lready experienced poverty w ill no t be in tegra ted in to the mainstream econom y. W ith in these reg ions, businesses are ab le to opera te on low costs and under we ll des igned incen tives, thereby encourag ing fore ign and domestic priva te sector investm ents. By concentra t ing the construction o f essentia l in frastructu re w ith in certa in reg ions the econom ic corridor approach takes advantage of the substan tia l econom ies. The government has identified ten reg ions of PNG to be categorized as econom ic corridors fo r the purpose of deve lopment and they inc lude; i. Pe tro leum Resources A reas Econom ic Corridor (PRAEC )-Southern H igh lands, Parts o f Enga, Gu lf, and Centra l, ii. Border Corridor-W estern , Southern H igh lands and Saundaun, iii. Centra l Corridor- Centra l, M ilne Bay, O ro and Morobe, iv . M adang-Ba iyer, Karamui-Gu lf Corridor-M adang, Ch im bu, Gu lf and W estern H igh lands, v. M orobe-M adang Corridor v i. Enga-Sep iks Corridor-Enga, East and west Sep ik prov inces vii. South Coast Corridor- East New Brita in and west New Bria tin P rov ince viii. M omase Corridor- M adang, East Sep ik and W est Sep ik P rov inces ix . So lom ons Corridor- Autonomous reg ion of Bouga inv ille x. F ree Zone Corridor-M anus, New Ire land, East and W est Sep ik The PNG Liquefied Natura l G as (PNG LNG ) is one of the b iggest im pact pro jects in Papua New Guinea. The PRAECw ill extend the benefits o f the LNG pro ject beyond the gas site to the nation as a who le . The PRAECw ill d irect LNG revenues in to a network o f transport, u tili ties and serv ices in the PRAECareas tha t is fu lly in tegra ted w ith the nationa l ne twork. 5.2. FoodSecurity Food security is essentia l fo r susta inab le deve lopment. It is im portan t fo r in te rna l security o f the country . U tiliz ing the country 's land resources in a manner tha t produce a ll o f what we need to eat and enough of what we want to eat. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 35 There is an abundant of land in the country which could be productively uses to meet the food security needs of the country. There is at least 30% of land in Papua New Guinea is ar able. Production land use refers to the direct or indirect utilization of land resources for crop production, fisheries, livestock and poultry production. Land under this category include agriculture areas, coastal and marine zones ... etc, where productive activities could be un dertaken to meet the country's requirement for food and economic growth. Despite the abundance of arable land, there is a sign of food insecurity, thus malnutrition is evident in both urban and rural areas. This is because the rural people consume only on what they produce in their gardens thus taking in an imbalance diet that leads to malnutri tion. In urban areas, many of the people are regarded as urban poor. They are marginalized and denied basic services which ultimately lead to malnutrition and urban poor. In Papua New Guinea, 97% of land is customary owned. Due to steep slopes and inundation, only 30% of the land which is arable is suitable for commercial agriculture. Large areas of this productive land are found in the Markham/Ramu Valley, Tari Basin in Southern High lands, Waghi Valley in Western Highlands, Sepik Plains in East Sepik Province, Sogeri P lateau in Central province, etc ... Over 85% of the total of Papua New Guinea's population practices intensive subsistence agriculture, defined here as where land is cropped for up to a quarter of the entire cultiva tion cycle. When the number of cultivation increases, the fallow period decreases. The National Food Security 2001-2010 plan has 14 programs. Sub goals (5) of the programs specifies to ensure integrated management and sustainable use of natural resources, land, water, fisheries, forest and genetic resources. The main goals are; i. To support conservation, improvement and sustainable use of natural resources for food and agriculture, ii. For conservation, rehabilitation, and development of environment which is at risk iii. To ensure that development is sustainable by designing and implementing activities that meets local needs and participation. iv. To support appropriate environment legislations, structure and management prac tices. Department of Agriculture and Livestock's aim for Papua New Guinea is to attain national food security through sustainable use of biological resources, guaranteed supply and acces sibility of food fiber through improved production and distribution network for the nations alarm ing growing population. The primary objective of planning for production land use is to determ ine the most efficient and equitable manner of utilizing and managing land resources such that there is adequate and accessible space for sustainable food production. The pri mary focus in production land use for food security is on feeding the population. The prima ry target of the rural population is to make them be self-sufficient in food production. Land use planning contributes to improve availability of food in a number of ways including; i. Through land use planning, areas of food production can be defined, zoned and pro tected from being converted into construction land; National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 36 ii. T h ro u g h th e in te g ra tio n o f ru le s re g u la tin g to a cce ss to la n d a n d /o r im p ro vin g te n u re se cu rity , fo o d p ro d u ctio n ca n b e im p ro ve d a s fa rm e rs w ill in ve st in lo n g te rm m e a su re s to im p ro ve th e so il o r sta rt m o re e xp e n sive cu ltiva tio n s th a t p ro vid e h ig h e r y ie ld s in th e lo n g ru n . iii. L a n d u se p la n n in g in co m b in a tio n w ith m a rke t a n a lys is a n d in fra stru ctu re p la n n in g ca n im p ro ve a cce ss to fo o d . 5.3. BiodiversityConservation P a p u a N e w G u in e a is b le sse d w ith va st b io lo g ica l d ive rs ity . It is m o re d ive rse a n d th u s ve ry d ifficu lt to id e n tify th e p o te n tia l o f e a ch sp e cie s. S o m e sp e cie s a re o f g re a t e co n o m ic a n d m e d ica l im p o rta n ce to u s a n d w e ca n 't p re d ict w h ich o n e s. E a ch sp e cie s is u n iq u e a n d irre p la ce a b le p ro d u ct o f m illio n ye a rs o f e vo lu tio n . E a ch sp e cie s is o f sc ie n tific im p o rta n ce a n d th u s co n trib u te s m e a n in g fu lly to th e e co syste m . S o m e a re ke y sp e cie s w h o se d e m ise ca n ta ke o th e r sp e cie s w ith th e m . F u rth e rm o re , e ve ry sp e cie s h a s a n in h e re n t rig h t to e xis t a n d d o e s n o t n e e d to b e o f va lu e to u s to ju stify th e ir e x is te n ce (Albert Nita, 2007, 38). H o w e ve r, d u e to in cre a se h u m a n p o p u la tio n a n d re la te d so cio -e co n o m ic d e sire s a n d p o lice s h a ve fa il to va lu e th e e n viro n m e n t a n d its v ita l e co syste m s se rv ice s, a n d th u s p ro m o te u n su sta in a b le e xp lo ita tio n . A s o u r p o p u la tio n g ro w s, w e o ccu p y, c le a r, a n d d a m a g e m o re la n d to su p p ly fo o d , fu e l w o o d , tim b e r a n d o th e r re so u rce s. T h e ra p id p o p u la tio n g ro w th a n d p o ve rty p u sh th e p o o r to cu t fo re sts, g ro w cro p o n m a rg in a l la n d , o ve rg ra zin g , d e p le tin g m a rin e re so u rce s a n d kill o r h u n t e n d a n g e re d sp e cie s. C o n se q u e n tly , co n se rva tio n a n d w ise m a n a g e m e n t o f b io lo g ica l re so u rce s th ro u g h ; i. M a in ta in in g e sse n tia l e co lo g ica l p ro ce sse s a n d life -su p p o rt syste m s o n w h ich h u m a n su rv iva l a n d e co n o m ic a ctiv itie s d e p e n d , m o stly b y co m b in in g w ild life co n se rva tio n w ith su sta in a b le d e ve lo p m e n t. ii. P re se rv in g sp e cie s d ive rs ity a n d g e n e tic d ive rs ity . iii. E n su re th a t a n y u se o f sp e cie s a n d e co syste m is su sta in a b le . iv . M in im iz in g th e d e p le tio n o f n o n -re n e w a b le re so u rce s. v. Im p ro vin g th e q u a lity o f h u m a n life . v i. In c lu d in g w o m e n a n d th e lo ca l p e o p le in th e d e ve lo p m e n t o f co n se rva tio n p la n s. v ii. P ro m o tin g a n e th n ic th a t in c lu d e s p ro te ctio n o f p la n ts a n d a n im a ls a s w e ll a s p e o p le . v iii. E n co u ra g in g re co g n itio n o f h a rm fu l e n viro n m e n ta l e ffe cts o f a rm e d co n flic ts a n d e co n o m ic in se cu rity . ix . E n co u ra g in g re h a b ilita tio n o f d e g ra d e d e co syste m s u p o n w h ich h u m a n d e p e n d s o n fo o d a n d fib e r. T h e su sta in a b le u se a n d p ro te ctio n o f b io lo g ica l d ive rs ity is a n in te g ra l co m p o n e n t o f su c ce ssfu l la n d u se p la n n in g . T h e g u id in g p rin c ip le h e re is to ca ta lo g u e b io d ive rs ity to g e th e r w ith th e lo ca l p o p u la tio n a n d th u s to p e rce ive it m o re cle a rly a n d a p p re cia te its im p o rta n ce . In su cce ssive ste p s, co n flic ts o f in te re st a re to b e b ro u g h t to lig h t a n d fa irly re so lve d , re su lt in g in g re a te r so cia l a cce p ta n ce . A t th e sa m e tim e , p a rtn e rs a re to b e m o b ilize d w h o ca n p la ya ro le in u sin g b io d ive rs ity a n d th e re b y im p ro ve va lu e cre a tio n . A n o th e r e le m e n t is to National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 37 docum en t trad itiona l w isdom as a p re requ is ite fo r access and bene fit sha ring regu la tions a re to p reven t res tric tions on use . P ro tec ting b iod ive rs ity does no t m ean concen tra tion on ind iv idua l spec ies , bu t ra the r fo rm ing ecosys tem s and con tribu ting to the ir sus ta inab ility o r res ilience . Th is requ ires a spa tia lly o rien ted app roach such as tha t o ffe red by land use p lan n ing . Fo r ins tance , ecosys tem s can be in te rconnec ted in ne tw o rks w h ich can he lp to avo id a gene tic im pove rishm en t. 5.4. Environment Management The ra te o f env ironm en t de te rio ra tion and deg rada tion is inc reas ing rap id ly in line w ith the increase in popu la tion . A s the consum ption ra te increase so as the deg rada tion ra te . The ra te o f deve lopm en t and a lso the ru ra l im pact p ro jec ts tha t a re tak ing p lace in the coun try had fas t track the changes in the env ironm en t and m uch o f ou r ra re , un ique and endan ge red flo ra and fauna a re d isappea ring (M ille r, 1994 , 18 -21 ). S eve ra l types o f env ironm en ta l deg rada tion can change po ten tia lly renewab le resou rces in to non -renewab le o r unusab le resou rces . These inc lude ; i. C ove ring p roduc tive land w ith w a te r, concre te o r bu ild ing so tha t p lan t g row th de c lines and w ild life hab ita ts a re los t. ii. C u ltiva ting land w ithou t p rope r so il m anagem en t, caus ing so il e ros ion and dep le tion o f p lan t nu trien ts . Topso il is now erod ing fas te r than its fo rm . iii. Irriga ting crop land w ithou t good d ra inage caus ing sa lin iza tion and wa te rlogg ing . Sa lt bu ilt-up has cu t y ie lds and wa te rlogg ing has reduced p roduc tiv ity . iv . Tak ing fresh wa te r from groundwa te r o r aqu ife rs and from stream s and lakes fas te r than it is rep laced by na tu ra l p rocesses . v . D es troy ing we tlands and co ra l ree fs . v i. C u tting trees from la rge a reas o r de fo res ta tion w ithou t adequa te rep lan ting . v ii. O ve rg raz ing o f g rass lands by lives tocks , w h ich conve rts p roduc tive g rass lands in to unp roduc tive g rass lands o r dese rts v iii. E lim ina ting w ild spec ies th rough des truc tion o f hab ita ts , comm erc ia l hun ting , pes t con tro l and po llu tion . ix . P o llu tion o f a ir, w a te r and so il. In Papua New Gu inea , m a jo r env ironm en ta l deg rada tion is caused by the econom ic im pact p ro jec ts such as m in ing , la rge sca le comm erc ia l logg ing , comm erc ia l ag ricu ltu re , and fishe ries us ing m odern weapons and chem ica ls , c rea tion o f tow ns, bu ilt env ironm en t and so on . The roo t causes o f env ironm en t deg rada tion inc lude ; i. O ve rpopu la tion ii. O ve rconsum ption o f resou rces iii. P ove rty and unde r-consum ption o f resou rces by the poo r. Th is is a resu lt o f ou r fa il u re to ach ieve a m ore equa l d is tribu tion o f na tiona l incom e tha t m ee ts eve ryone 's bas ic needs . iv . Ine ffic iency . Th is invo lves m ass ive waste o f ene rgy , w a te r and o the r resou rces . v . A dd ic tion to foss il fue ls . Th is app lies espec ia lly to o il and gas . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 38 v i. O vers im p lifica tion o f Earth 's life support system s. The key facto r is excess ive reduc tion in b io log ica l d ivers ity . v ii. Poor po litica l and econom ic m anagement. Th is invo lves our fa ilu re to encourage Earth susta in ing fo rm s of econom ic deve lopment and d iscourage Earth -degrad ing fo rm s of econom ic and popu la tion grow th . v iii. Fa ilu re to have marke t p rices represents the overa ll env ironmenta l cost o f econom ic goods or serv ices. Th is promotes ine ffic iency and dep le tion o f earth 's cap ita l fo r short-te rm pro fits by concea ling the harm fu l e ffects o f the products we buy. ix . O ur urge to dom ina te and contro l na tu re . Land is norm ally de fined as a physica l en tity in te rm s of its topography and spatia l na tu re tha t inc ludes natura l resources. These components are organ ized in ecosystem s which pro v ide a varie ty o f serv ices essentia l to the main tenance of the in tegrity o f the life -support system s and the productive capacity o f the environment. Land resources are used in ways tha t take advantage of a ll these characte ris tics . Land is a fin ite resource , wh ile the natura l resources it supports can vary over tim e and accord ing to m anagement cond itions and uses. Expand ing human requ irem ents and econom ic activ ities are p lac ing ever increasing pressure on land resources, crea ting comple tion and conflic t and resu lting in suboptim a l use of bo th land and land resources. In tegra ted land use and physica l p lann ing and management is ex trem ely em inent practica l way to ach ieve th is . By exam in ing a ll uses o f land in an in tegra ted manner, it m akes it poss ib le to m in im ize conflic ts , to m ake the most e ffic ien t trade-o ffs and to link socia l and econom ic deve lopment w ith environmenta l p ro tection and enhancement, thus he lp ing to ach ieve the ob jectives o f susta inab le deve lopment. The essence of the in tegra ted approach finds express ion in the coord ina tion o f the secto ra l p lann ing and management activ ities concerned w ith the various aspects o f land use and its resources. The in tegra ted approach to p lann ing and management o f land resources, wh ich dea ls w ith reorgan iza tion" streng then ing of decis ion making structu re , inc lud ing exis ting po lic ies, p lann ing and management procedures and methods tha t can assis t in pu tting in p lace an in tegra ted approach to land and resources p lann ing . 5.5. Sustainable Utilization of Finite/Non Renewable Resources Worldw ide the demand for non-renewab le m inera l commodities is soaring because both popu la tion and per cap ita consumption are ris ing . Concentra tions o f non-renewab le re sources were fo rm ed m illions o f years ago and are be ing dep le ted in decades. The fu tu re .supp ly o f such resources depends on the actua l o r po ten tia l supp ly and the ra te a t wh ich tha t supp ly is be ing used. Non renewab le resources becomes econom ica lly dep le ted when find ing , extracting , transporting and process ing them cost m ore than the resu lts are worth . A t tha t tim e, find a lte rna tive ways such as recyc le or reuse exis ting supp lies, waste less, use less, find substitu tes or do w ithou t. The grea test danger from high leve ls o f resource consumption may not be the exhaustion o f resources but the damage tha t the ir extraction and process ing do to the environment. Ex tracting and process ing o f non-renewab le resources are the most environmenta lly damag National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 39 ing. By reducing unnecessary ways of non renewable resources can extend supplies even more dramatically than recycling and reuse. Cutting down on wastes generally saves more energy and virgin resources than recycling; reduce the environmental impacts of extracting, processing and using resources. Planning for wise use of non renewable resources in order to maximized option over limited resources and to for the enjoyment of the future generation. A larger perspective of plan ning and the wider coverage of the planning area are required. Suitable procedures for physical planning should enable 97% of land use planning coverage of the country especially where the majority of the population lives and can sustain themselves. Land use planning practices should extend the area of planning from 3% of land in the country to 97%. This will balance the system of the entire landmass in the country, and wider coverage of planning can lead to more manageable, protection and wise usage of land and its finite resources. 6.0. SUITABLE LAND USE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES The best way to identify the best use of land is to use a zoning mechanism. Zoning can be defined as the allocation of a set of consistent characteristics to an identifiable piece of land (N a tiona l F ram ew ork fo r Susta inab le Land U se 2006-2037). Zoning is shown pictorially, as a range of colors on a map. A key or legend is created to explain the map. The zoning is not to be confused with land use. A land use survey will identify the current situation while the zoning plan identifies what the future land use should be. Therefore, it can be seen as the zoning plan is in fact a policy statement. 6 .1 . Zon ing o f Land A zoning plan is a plan to control the use of land in a physical planning area. It is a plan ap proved by notice in the National Gazette in accordance with Section 71 of the Physical Plan ning Act. For the purposes of the Act, a zoning plan is a map zoned in accordance with Sche dule 1 of the Physical Planning Regulation. Zoning plans serves many of the functions of a physical development plan. They enable urban land to be reserved for particular uses, they reduce the possibility of land use conflict and the likelihood of ad-hoc decisions which are inconsistent with each other. Zoning plans can be quiet detailed policy documents contain ing policies on density and phrasing of development. Zoning plans are necessary for controlling development. They are necessary where change is very rapid. They are useful development guides in areas where development is occurring but it is slow and spasmodic, placing no serious constraints on the physical infrastructure, e.g, small Government stations. Zoning plans have the following advantages; i. The approval process is quicker and simpler even though the zoning plan is an official plan. ii. The planning authority is entirely responsible for the preparation and approval of plans iii. Plan preparation does not have to require extensive technical resources. N ationa l Susta inab le Land U se Po licy-20 l2 Page 40 iv. Zoning plans are easily revised. Diagram 2 : An example of Zoning Plan-Madang Province Applca tion .J«x PPN 13 0B J2002 PhysicaIJ'S6n Are« MADANG S lc D el:a11s: SECT ION 29 I Type o i A pp llc : , A ppIic$n t: ::TATE LAND (OCPP , P .O .BO Description Proposat SLrof'v'DE, REZONE a C~ Previous Zoning: l GEf\ERAL INDl..IS1RIAL Curren l: Z on i"lg : PUBL IC RECREAT ION Existing Lot.,.port SECnON 29 ExlstIng PklnJ'«X 12J60 A reeU "la : 115 .79 TRP..No: 3/21 Board M eeting D ete : 24 .0212005 GazetteCNo: G25 G a:z :e ttaU )a te : I M eeti" lg N o : r08J2004 Appfoved-Pote: 21/10f2004 AppeaU >ete : 0 A ppeaLA ppU Jo : 0 ~~~ Source: GISAdministration, Office of the Chief Physical Planner 4 na:K tY S1CAL~"'CT ••••• : ~Q I'I,A 6»"JnW Ee.. •. ~ P Jn 'S 'I:::A oL~E :IfIY 'lO J< ': .(l SII"-.:lIICCl.f"CD~,Hlj~' -.c ~y , •.••T Il. •• W IO .•••• '~ .-oao .J 6.2. Local Control for Land Use Management 6.2.1. Delegation of Physical Planning Powers and Functions to Provinces The Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government under Section 50 generally gives the mandate to the National Government Departments to devolve their powers and func tions to lower arms notably the Provincial and Local Level Governments. The Physical Plan ning Act 1989, Section 19 and other relevant provisions, further gives effect to the estab lishment of Provincial Physical Planning Boards with the devolved functions. These two legis lations are done to make the Provincial Governments to be equally responsible and take ownership of the established functions. Physical Planning Act does not empower the De partment of Lands and Physical Planning to provide the required administrative capacity. This option is entirely left to the Provincial Administrations so that they become responsible not only in establishing the Board but also sustaining the physical planning office. Therefore, the Provincial Governments are led to think that they are entirely responsible to decide when to establish and also to commit the prerequisite requirements and administrative ca pacities. The Department of Lands and Physical Planning through the Office of the Chief Physical Planner, coordinates the devolution of Physical Planning Powers and Functions in Provinces under the following conditions: National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 41 i. P rovincial A dm inistrations show genuine involvem ent in the long term interest in adopting the decentralized Functions; ii. O C P P is satisfied and recom m ends B oard E stablishm ents in provinces w here its ad m inistrative clim ate is conducive; iii. P rovincial A dm inistrations show clear financial and organisational com m itm ent to w ards P hysical P lanning A ctivities; iv. P rovincial G overnm ents feel that there is a need and form ally express them selves through the prerequisite requirem ents such as: o R ecruitm ent of a P rovincial P hysical P lanner; o O ffice S et up w ith O ffice E quipm ent; o C lear Financial C om m itm ent from provincial G overnm ent; o U pdated Zoning P lans for the assigned province; o H ave a D evelopm ent plan in place The delegation of P hysical P lanning pow ers to the P rovincial P hysical P lanning B oards em pow ers the resource ow ners, the developers and the P rovincial P lanning B oards to m ake w ise decisions in using the land and resources. The pow ers that are delegated include; i. C onsider and determ ine all physical planning m atters prim arily of provincial interest w ithin the province concerned, ii. W here any m atter is prim arily of national interest, the P rovincial P hysical P lanning B oard referred it to the N ational P hysical P lanning B oard for decision, and in doing so m ay advice the N ational P hysical P lanning B oard to its view on the m atter, iii. W here there is doubt to w hether a m atter is prim arily of national interest, a P rovin cial P hysical P lanning B oards m ay consult w ith the N ational P hysical P lanning B oard and in the event of disagreem ent the m atter shall be dealt w ith, iv. W here a P rovincial G overnm ent is suspended and an adm inistrator is appointed, the P rovincial P hysical P lanning B oard shall continue to operate unless it also has been suspended. D iagram 3: R egional B asis-D elegation of P hysical P lanning P ow ers • Islands • S outhern • M om ase • H ighlands The Pie Chart showing the Provinces which already established the Physical Planning Boards •• National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 42 The roles of Boards and Authorities are very important in extending the sphere of influence of physical planning throughout the country. Boards are established under the legislation to be the "authority" a decision making body established under the Physical Planning Act. Physical Planning Boards are autonomous decision making mechanisms established by the Govern ment through the Physical Planning Act to consider, assess and approve plans and policies in addition to authorizing development within a declared physical planning area. For Physical Planning Boards to effectively operate within a Provincial setting it must have a high degree of relative autonomy without political interference. A planning system established at the prov ince with a relatively small autonomy is limited in the choices of ends which it pursues. To date the number of Provincial Physical Planning Boards established throughout the coun try has reached seven. They are NCD Physical Planning Board which deals with all Physical Planning Matters within the boundaries of National Capital District. East New Britain Provin cial Physical Planning Board, Morobe Provincial Physical Planning Board, West Sepik Provin cial Physical Planning Board, Milne bay Province Physical Planning Board, Western Highlands Provincial Physical Planning Board and Bougainville Autonomous Region Physical Planning Board. The delegation of full physical planning powers and functions to the Provincial Physical Plan ning Board can only be done if that Province has a development plan for the main centre, and also if the other physical planning requirements are in order then relate to the estab lishment of a proper office with adequate staff and other logistical support. The delegation of Powers is mainly done by the Chairman of the National Physical Planning Board and the Secretary of Department of Lands and Physical Planning by way of gazettal in the National gazette. Provinces such as Western Province, Gulf Province, Oro Province in the Southern Region and Simbu, Southern Highlands, Hela and Jiwaka Province in the Highlands Regions and East Sepik in Momase and Manus have yet to show the commitment required to take up the powers and functions of Physical Planning. 6.2.2. Issue of Compliance Certificates The performance of officers in the Provinces that already have the Physical Planning Boards in dealing with the development issues in the Provinces concerned determined the award ing of Compliance Certificates. It is further determined by the staff capacity, the resources such as computers, printers, and other office equipments that will assist in planning and controlling the development in the Provinces. Furthermore, there must be support from the Provincial Administration that boost in controlling and managing the developments in the Provinces. The awarding of compliance certificates are characterized in three categories; i. Category C=a newly established office. They just recruit a planner and are not confi dent to run the office. More guidance, support and assistance is provided by the of fice of the Chief Physical Planner. ii. Category B= they can run their board effectively with little guidance and assistance from the office of the Chief Physical Planner. iii. Category A= this office is fully resourced and is capable of running its own board and the office. National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 43 T h e O ff ic e o f th e C h ie f P h y s ic a l P la n n e r , its s ta f f , m a in ly th e S ta n d a rd s a n d C om p lia n c e O f f ic e rs g o e s a ro u n d in s p e c t in g th e c o m p lia n c e s o f th e p ro v in c e s th a t a lre a d y h a v e th e P h y s i c a l P la n n in g P o w e rs to ru n th e ir o w n b o a rd s . 6.3. Land Tenure Conversion T h e la n d te n u re s h ip in P a p u a N e w G u in e a is o f tw o ty p e s a n d th e re a re c u s to m a ry la n d o w n e rs h ip a n d s ta te la n d w h ic h is c o n tro lle d b y th e s ta te m a in ly th e D e p a r tm e n t o f L a n d s a n d P h y s ic a l P la n n in g . T h e c u s to m a ry la n d is la n d w h ic h o w n e d b y in d ig e n o u s c o m m u n it ie s a n d is a d m in is te re d in a c c o rd a n c e w ith th e ir c u s to m s a s o p p o s e d to s ta tu a ry te n u re u s u a lly in t ro d u c e d d u r in g c o lo n ia l p e r io d . C o m m o n o w n e rs h ip is o n e fo rm o f c u s to m a ry la n d o w n e r s h ip a n d h e n c e its b o u n d a r ie s a re d e f in e d b y n a tu ra l fe a tu re s s ym b o liz in g o n e tra d it io n a l la n d o w n in g c la n 's b o u n d a ry fro m a n o th e r . C u s to m a ry la n d is h e ld u n d e r tw o te n u re s y s te m s w h ic h a re th e m a tr i l in e a l a n d p a tr i l in e a l s y s te m s . 6.3.1. Voluntary Customary Land Registration and Incorporation of Land Groups O n e o f th e fa c to rs o f p ro d u c t io n in P a p u a N e w G u in e a is la n d , w h ic h is lo c k e d u p b e c a u s e o f o u td a te d a n d in e f f ic ie n t la n d a d m in is t ra t io n le g a l f ra m e w o rk a n d d iv e rg e n t c u s to m a ry la n d te n u re s y s te m . C o n s e q u e n t ly P a p u a N e w G u in e a re m a in s s h a c k le d in p o v e r ty , in a la n d r ic h c o u n try . T h e p u rp o s e o f th e re g is t ra t io n o f c u s to m a ry la n d is to a c t a s a m ir ro r o f th e la n d , re f le c t in g th e in te re s t o v e r th e la n d , th e p h y s ic a l a re a , a n d th e t it le to it . I f th e re g is t ra t io n is to b e re lie d o n th e n it m u s t b e a c c u ra te in a ll i ts d e ta ils . R e g is t ra t io n fo rm a liz e s t it le s s o th a t th is n o lo n g e r b e c o m e s ju s t a m a tte r o f b ir th , n a m e o f re s id e n c e , b u t th e q u e s t io n o f la w . R e g is t ra t io n s e rv e s a s a u s e fu l p u rp o s e w h e re la n d is a m a rk e ta b le c o m m o d ity a n d c h a n g e s h a n d s fre q u e n t ly . I t a ls o p ro v id e s s e c u r ity o f te n u re w h e re re g is t ra t io n is d e e m e d to b e in d e fe a s ib le . T h e re is th e a rg u m e n t w ith c u s to m a ry la n d th a t m u c h o f it is s t i l l n o t m a rk e ta b le c o m m o d ity a n d n o t s u b je c t to e c o n o m ic e x p lo ita t io n . C u s to m a ry la n d is h e ld b y a la n d g ro u p a c c o rd in g to lo c a l c u s to m . T ra d it io n a lly , c u s to m a ry o w n e rs n e v e r c o n s id e r th e ir la n d a s p ro p e r ty b u t a s a d o m a in fo r s u rv iv a l o f la n d g ro u p m em b e rs , p a s t , p re s e n t a n d fu tu re . A ll k in d s o f s o c ia l, s p ir itu a l a n d e c o lo g ic a l a n d s u b s is te n c e v a lu e s in te n d in s u c h la n d . B u t f ro m b u s in e s s p o in t o f v ie w in m o d e rn s e c to r it is a n a s s e t w ith n o v a lu e . I t is a p ro p e r ty , it is o u ts id e th e m o d e rn s e c to r a n d is o la te d fro m m a in s t re a m d e v e lo p m e n t (C L R C ,2 0 1 2 ) . In o rd e r fo r th e m a jo r ity o f th e p o p u la t io n to b e in v o lv e d in th e m a in s tre a m e c o n o m y , th e p e o p le m u s t m a k e a tra n s it io n fro m b e in g m a s te rs o f a d o m a in to b e in g c o m m u n a l p ro p e r ty o w n e rs . C u s to m a ry la n d m a n a g e m e n t is th e s o c ia l c o n tra c t fo r c u s to m a ry la n d a n d th is s o c ia l c o n tra c t b e tw e e n th e m em b e rs a n d th e la n d g ro u p s e ts th e te rm s a n d c o n d it io n s fo r la n d u s e w ith in th e la n d g ro u p . T h e c u s to m a ry s o c ia l c o n tra c t re m a in s in ta c t a f te r re g is t ra t io n , o w n e rs h ip re m a in s in ta c t , is s u e o f t it le to a n In c o rp o ra te d L a n d G ro u p ( IL G ) a s e m p o w e re d th e g ro u p to c o n v e r t its p re v io u s lo c k e d u p a n d c o m m e rc ia lly v a lu e le s s a s s e t ( la n d ) to a v a lu a b le p ro p e r ty a b le to b e s h a p e d a n d e m p lo y e d to th e g ro u p 's a d v a n ta g e . U n d e r th e n e w a r ra n g e m e n t, c u s to m a ry la n d o w n in g s o c ia l u n its s ta n d to e a rn in c o m e fo r le a s in g th e ir la n d fo r e x p lo ra t io n . T h e ir in v o lv e m e n t, s u b s e q u e n t ly in a n y p ro je c t th a t b e National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 4 4 comes commercially viable is a separate matter. Portions of forest area may be protected in return for income to be generated from carbon trading. Likewise, vast areas of grasslands maybe replanted to gain income. The above describes examples of the kind of impacts the application of customary land tenure reform laws may have on the way land and land based resources enterprises are viewed, accessed and developed. IUCN (1991) care for the envi ronment, natural resources and sustainable living may depend upon the beliefs and com m itments of individuals, but it is through their communities that most people can best ex press their commitments. Reforms are aimed at using the econom ic potential that is available in customary land. The availing of econom ic potential would enable customary landowners to do business on their land while ensuring their interests are protected. Enabling landowners to recognize the eco nom ic potential of customary land requires more than having a legal and adm inistrative framework. Landowners have to appreciate land in a modern econom ic sense, which differs from a customary perspective. A main feature of the empowering process is to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of using land in econom ic terms so that landowners can make informed choices about what to do with their land. The reasons and drivers include socio-econom ic change, new and rapidly changing forces, empowerment of landowners, and equitability in customary land usage, security for all par ties and the need for an efficient and effective legal framework. The concept of the amended legislations on Voluntary customary land registration and Incorporated Land Group Registration is the way forward for PNG as much of the time, people are being ex ploited over their own land and especially during the former days where they were being manipulated into acquiring their land and as such, they have m issed out on real tangible benefits. These 6.3.1.1. Socia-Economic Changes and Forces The customary land use arrangements are significantly influenced and altered by socio econom ic changes based on the modern cash economy. Land that was once used for subsis tence livelihood with its own land use management arrangements is now being used for longer term econom ic development. The introduced alternative uses for land have their own land use structures, governance and management framework. It must be recognized that new and rapidly changing forces are impacting on use and management of customary land. It is worth noting that land is central to these challenges. On the other hand, these forces provide an opportunity for customary landowners to create wealth from their land through proper land use arrangements. On that note, landowners may no longer enjoy se cure land tenure without proper land use arrangements to deal w ith these socio-econom ic forces. The socio-econom ic changes and forces of progress in econom ic, environmental and politi cal spheres are altering customary land tenure management. The Government of Papua New Guinea has a responsibility to ensure that landowners are assisted through legal and adm inistrative mechanisms to manage their customary land for the benefits of all the mem bers of the social unit that owns the land. The land held under customary tenure supports the livelihood of more than 85% of the total population, most of them residing in rural areas and draws their livelihood from subsistence production. Customary land tenure laws of the National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 45 a reas de fin e and en fo rce p rope rty rig h ts , in c lud ing ow ne rsh ip , a ccess and use righ ts . T h is ope ra te s ou ts ide o f the fo rm a l law and adm in is tra tio n sys tem . Lega lly , how eve r, th e P apua N ew G u inea C ons titu tio n and the Land A c t 1996 and the unde rly in g A c ts re cogn ize cus tom a ry land tenu re law s . Land re fo rm rem a in s an im po rtan t and ye t a sens itive m ic roeconom ic re fo rm agenda fo r P apua N ew G u inea . Land re fo rm is fa r m o re d ifficu lt to unde rta ke in P apua N ew G u inea fo r seve ra l reasons , in c lud ing the fa c t tha t cus tom a ry land tenu re p redom ina te s and suppo rts the live lih ood o f 85% o f the ru ra l popu la tio n . A t the sam e tim e , the coun try and its peop le a re unde rgo ing a rap id change caused by the dem ands o f the b roade r m ode rn econom ic and po litica l sys tem s because P apua N ew G u inea is pa rt o f a g loba l comm un ity . T hese changes a re irre ve rs ib ly chang ing the w ay land is m anaged and used the reby m ak ing land re fo rm in P apua N ew G u inea inev ita b le . T he re a re o the r soc ia l and econom ic bene fits em e rged from land re fo rm . C hanges in labou r m ob ility , c rea tio n o f in com e oppo rtun itie s , and the in c reased flow o f in com e to the b roade r comm un ity shou ld lead to changes in the live lih oods o f the comm un ity a t la rge . In the trad i tio na l cu s tom a ry land tenu re sys tem , eve ryone in a househo ld s o r soc ie ty has to m ake a con tr ib u tio n to the subs is tence w ay o f life . It is an tic ip a ted tha t a g row ing num be r o f peop le w ou ld w an t to ow n p rope rtie s , e ith e r a s in ves tm en t o r fo r hous ing on land w ith fo rm a l title s . T he change in the unde rly in g s ta tu s o f la nd w ou ld have c rea ted the in cen tive s su ffi c ie n t to m ake ow ne rsh ip o f la nd w ith fo rm a l title s m o re va luab le than land w ithou t title . C o lle c tive ly , bo th fa c to rs shou ld be ab le to change gende r re la tio n sh ip s as any pe rson , ir re spec tive o f gende r w ith the capac ity to pay w ou ld be ab le to pu rchase and ow n land w ith fo rm a l title s . 6.3.1.2. Empowerment 0/ Landowners F rom the v iew po in t o f m ode rn econom ic en te rp rise , cus tom a ry land has vas t e conom ic po ten tia l. L ega l and adm in is tra tive m echan ism s a re requ ired to em pow e r landow ne rs to m ax im ize these econom ic po ten tia l in o rde r to im p rove the ir live lih ood . T he Land G roups In co r po ra tio n (Am endm en t) A c t 2009 and the Land R eg is tra tio n (Am endm en t) A c t 2009 o f P apua N ew G u inea a re in tended to em pow e r landow ne rs to un lo ck the econom ic po ten tia l o f cu s tom a ry land and im p rove the secu rity o f tenu re . T h is re fo rm is a im ed a t u s ing the econom ic po ten tia l th a t is a va ila b le in cus tom a ry land . T he ava ilin g o f e conom ic po ten tia l w ou ld ena b le cus tom a ry landow ne rs to do bus iness on the ir la nd w h ile ensu ring the ir in te re s ts a re p ro te c ted . E nab lin g landow ne rs to re cogn ize the econom ic po ten tia l o f cu s tom a ry land re qu ire s m o re than hav ing a lega l and adm in is tra tive fram ew o rk . Landow ne rs have to app re c ia te land in the m ode rn econom ic sense w h ich d iffe rs from cus tom a ry pe rspec tive . T he m a in fea tu re o f the em pow e ring p ro cess is to w e igh ou t the advan tages and the d isadvan tages o f u s ing land in econom ic te rm s , so tha t la ndow ne rs can m ake in fo rm ed dec is ions o r cho ices abou t w ha t to do w ith the ir la nd . T he ru ra l se c to r is the sou rce o f in com e fo r c lo se to 85% o f the ru ra l popu la tio n . T he sub s tan tia l ga in s from land re fo rm acc ru ing to the ru ra l se c to r a re the re fo re w o rth sc ru tin y . S ubs is tence rem a in s a c ritica l sou rce o f liv in g fo r m os t ru ra l re s iden ts . Land re fo rm opens up a lte rna tive in com e ea rn ing oppo rtun ity fo r ru ra l re s iden ts , le ad ing to a s trong sh ift aw ay from subs is tence to m a rke t-based ag ricu ltu re , em p lo ym en t and in com e gene ra tio n . P roduc National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 46 tion in subsistence agriculture declines while large scale and smallholder agriculture ex pands. Land reform leads to a shift away from small holder agriculture to large scale opera tions such as block holders. There is however a possibility that some smallholder operators do obtain additional access to credit as a result of land reform. For example, they may be able to use their savings from tenure security improvement as collateral. Therefore in the high impact scenario, smallholders are assumed to access some credits with the result that the discrepancy between large-scale agriculture and smallholder agriculture is marginally less. Across the board, improvements of the average household income levels are anticipated. However, the impacts on income may not be consistent across the board. There could be a series of strata. One stratum consists of those that are members of a customary landowning unit engaged in land development. Their income generating opportunities should range from payments to their ILGs, income earned from employment, and income from their own savings and investments. A second stratum would consist of other Papua New Guineans en gaged in the formal sector as employees of enterprises developed on land released for de velopment. A third stratum is other Papua New Guineans and foreigners, who invest in the land released by the ILG or State. Overall, it is anticipated that the average household in come to rise across the board for all households. The broad-based economic growth and development is the major outcome of land reform in Papua New Guinea. Development is measured in different ways. However, there are specific components that the land reform could directly impact on. These include poverty, family size, education level and infant mortality. While poverty has several types of measures, here it is narrowed down to few measures that can be tracked at household level. Examples in cludes income, access to clean water and sanitation, and access to basic health and educa tion services, infrastructure improvements which makes mobility much easier and level of education is expected to change as households divert their savings to human capital, invest in quality housing with appropriate ventilation and study atmosphere. Infant mortality may decline as people use their savings and or credits to improve their housing conditions, im prove their diet and quality of water intake and could afford to meet their health expenses. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) (1991) has identified some key indicators of devel opment which range from explicit statistics such as those relating to life expectancy, literacy and the availability of basic necessities through measures of adequate goods and services provided at the household levels. The most low income level households had improved in come indicators. There has been a rise in the provision of water and sanitation, had access to safe drinking water and other services. The basic needs of food, water, health and educa tion have improved slowing since the introduction of land reform. Quality of life also de pends on the opportunity and capacity to playa meaningful part in the community. Illiteracy and unemployment issues were of the past as people move into the new pace of develop ment with land reform. Miller (1994) explains the beneficial economic development can be achieved by; i. Protecting what works. Learning where and how people are living sustainably, and not disrupting their lives and culture. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 47 ii. Fostering individual and community self-reliance. This can be accomplished by pro moting fairer distribution of land and income, encouraging corporation among community members, using locally controlled methods such as the land reform initi ative and resources wherever possible, relying on sustainable use of local and re gional renewable resources whenever possible, keeping the fruits of economic activi ties in local communities in Papua New Guinea, which creates jobs and thus im proves living standards. iii. Involving the local communities or resource owners in the planning and execution of all the projects. This means asking the poor or landowners what they need, giving it to them, putting them in charge and telling others what works. iv. Making use of local wisdom, skills and resources. The poor know far more about po verty, survival environmental sustainability, local needs and what will work locally than other experts and professionals. From the survey that was conducted, it shows that all working class people have land in their own villages and thus their parents, brothers and sisters looks after the land while they are away working in urban areas. Even though, they are not physically at the village, there are some portions of land that are kept aside. Resources utilization is also restricted at these portions of land. The view of the people that was interviewed revealed that land reform is for 'development and poverty reduction'. Consequently, the aim of land reform is to effec tively use land for economic development and to protect the rights of the vulnerable sec tions of the community. This requires the government to have a forward looking strategy on land policy, land use planning for customary land and state owned land and to adequate ly inform the people of land reform implications. The major benefits of customary land reg istration empowers customary landowners to participate in economic development through the incorporation of their existing customary groups and getting recognized as legal entities. It also allows landowners to voluntarily run businesses on their customary land. When a land is registered, this will be done accordingly as all the members of the clan will be in cluded provided they have a birth certificate which is a legal document that confirms the person is part of the clan that owns the land instead of the genealogy system that was used in the past. With these, none of the clan member misses out on the economic benefit be cause once they register as part of the clan; they are entitled to any benefit forthcoming. The vulnerable people as well as the women and the aging will all be given fair share under the process and procedures of benefit sharing under a registered customary land or ILG. Also under the new legislations, there will be at least two women representative on the ex ecutive management of an ILG or customary land registered so that women and girls or children's rights will not be overlooked this time as women have been given an opportunity in the decision making level of the ILG. Land reform addresses inequality in the sharing of benefits and recognizes social inclusive in the economic development of their land since it is a communal ownership. Some of the major improvements in addressing inequalities in the traditional societies of PNG include; i. Formalize and strengthen the process of incorporation ii. Prohibition of multiple membership to ILGs iii. Link a citizen to a person named on the list of membership ofthe proposed ILG iv. Link actual customary land to proposed ILG National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 48 v . A v o id p ro tra c te d c o u r t b a tt le o v e r th e d is p u te d b o u n d a r ie s a n d s tif le th e p ro c e s s o f in c o rp o ra t io n o f IL G v i. G re a te r tra n s p a re n c y a n d a c c o u n ta b ility o f IL G M a n a g em e n t C om m itte e v ii. E q u a l o p p o r tu n ity fo r w om e n a n d g ir ls . S in c e th e in tro d u c t io n o f L a n d R e g is tra t io n in 2 0 0 9 w h e n th e In c o rp o ra t io n L a n d G ro u p (A m e n dm e n t) A c t 2 0 0 9 a n d th e L a n d R e g is tra t io n (A m e n dm e n t) A c t 2 0 0 9 b e c am e e ffe c t iv e s , m a n y o f th e lo c a l p e o p le re a liz e d th e p o te n tia l o f la n d re fo rm a n d th u s th e y re g is te re d th e ir c u s tom a ry la n d fo r e c o n om ic d e v e lo pm e n t a n d s p in o ffs . G e n e ra lly , from th e in fo rm a tio n c o lle c te d th ro u g h in te rv ie w s , th e re a re o v e r 1 8 ,0 0 0 ILG b e in g re g is te re d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a a n d s om e la n d ow n e r g ro u p s a re in th e p ro c e s s o f re g is te r in g th e ir la n d . 6.3.1.3. Equitability in Benefit Sharing U n d e r th e c u s tom a ry te n u re s y s tem , c u s tom a ry g ro u p s m a n a g e la n d r ig h ts a c c o rd in g to th e ir o w n c u s tom s . T h e re a re d if fe re n t ty p e s o f c u s tom a ry te n u re in P a p u a N ew G u in e a b u t s om e c h a ra c te r is t ic s a re s im ila r . C h a ra c te r is t ic s o f c u s tom a ry la n d te n u re s y s tem s ; i. A c c e s s to la n d p r im a r ily s tem s from b ir th in to a k in s h ip g ro u p . G ro u p s b a s e d o n k in s h ip o r o th e r fo rm s o f re la t io n s h ip a re th e m a in la n d ow n in g u n its , ii. T h e m a in la n d u s e u n its a re in d iv id u a ls o r sm a ll h o u s e h o ld u n its . M e n , p a r t ic u la r ly c h ie fs , e ld e rs o r s e n io r m e n w ith in th e c u s tom a ry g ro u p h a v e th e m a in s a y in d e c i s io n s o v e r th e g ro u p 's la n d m a tte rs . ii i. A s w e ll a s b e in g a s o u rc e o f p ow e r , la n d is a fo c u s fo r m a n y s o c ia l, c u ltu ra l a n d s p ir i tu a l a c t iv it ie s . L a n d c a n b e tra n s fe r re d o n ly w ith in e x is t in g s o c ia l a n d p o te n tia l re la t io n s h ip s . iv . R ig h ts to a c c e s s la n d a re c o n s ta n tly a d ju s te d to ta k e a c c o u n t o f c h a n g e s in g ro u p m em b e rs h ip . A lth o u g h a g ro u p ow n s c u s tom a ry la n d , th is d o e s n o t n e c e s s a r ily m e a n th a t a ll m em b e rs o f th e g ro u p h a v e e q u a l a c c e s s to th e la n d . E a c h in d iv id u a l w ith in a c u s tom a ry g ro u p h a s d is t in c t a n d o fte n d if fe re n t in te re s ts a n d r ig h ts to u s e , c o n tro l, tra n s fe r la n d a n d la n d b a s e d re s o u rc e s . S om e r ig h ts a re v e s te d e x c lu s iv e ly w ith a p a r t ic u la r in d iv id u a l, s om e a re v e s te d in fam ilie s o r h o u s e h o ld s , a n d s om e m a y b e s h a re d e q u a lly b e tw e e n a ll o r a la rg e n um b e r o f g ro u p m em b e rs . O n e o f th e c h a lle n g e s fo r la n d ow n e rs is e n s u r in g fa ir a n d e q u ita b le a c c e s s to th e u s e o f c u s tom a ry la n d b y a ll la n d ow n e rs . In th e m id s t o f ra p id s o c ia l c h a n g e , s om e in f lu e n tia l m em b e rs o f th e s o c ia l u n it m a y ig n o re c u s tom a ry la n d r ig h ts a n d d is c r im in a te a g a in s t v u ln e ra b le m em b e rs . L a n d u n d e r c u s tom a ry te n u re is c o lle c t iv e ly h e ld b y a s o c ia l u n it , c o n s is t in g o f c la n s o r tr i b e s . W ith in th e s e a re b u n d le s o f r ig h ts a c c e s s ib le o n ly to in d iv id u a l m em b e rs , o fte n a s s o c ia te d w ith lin e a g e d e fin e d b y b ir th o r m a rr ia g e . T h e ru le s th a t d e fin e a n d e n fo rc e s e c u r ity o f p ro p e r ty r ig h ts a re u n d e rs to o d a n d a c c e s s ib le to th e m em b e rs o f th e la n d ow n in g s o c ia l u n its . In th e p u re s t c u s tom a ry la n d te n u re s y s tem , th e re a re n o s y s tem s fa c ilita t in g tra n s a c t io n s w ith n o n -m em b e rs . D e v e lo pm e n t o f e n te rp r is e s o n la n d h e ld u n d e r c u s tom a ry t it le in P a p u a N ew G u in e a h a s b e e n o f tw o e x trem e s e ith e r la rg e s c a le o r sm a ll s c a le . O p e ra to rs w ith la rg e e c o n om ie s o f s c a le a re a b le to in v e s t in c o o rd in a t io n s tra te g ie s th a t m it ig a te th e National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 4 9 in c e n tiv e a n d a s y m m e try o f in fo rm a tio n p ro b le m s in h e re n t in c u s to m a ry la n d te n u re . E x a m p le s in c lu d e la rg e s c a le e n te rp ris e s w ith in th e m in in g , p e tro le u m , g a s a n d fo re s try in d u s trie s a n d la rg e -s c a le a g ric u ltu ra l o p e ra to rs s u c h a s in o il p a lm . P ro d u c e rs w ith o u t la rg e e c o n o m ie s o f s c a le re m a in s m a ll o p e ra tio n s . D iag ram 4 : re p re sen ts th e fram ew o rk en v is io ned by N LD P . T he Lega l fram ew o rk o f C us tom a ry Land T enu re R e fo rm in P apua N ew G u inea . L a n d A c t 1 9 9 6 a n d la n d re la te d L aw s A dm in is t r a t io n o f in d iv id u a l la n d ( le a s e ) t i t le s N ew C h a p te r in th e L a n d R e g is t r a t io n A c t 1 9 7 4 F o rm a l iz e s th e p o r t io n o f la n d , th e re g is te r e d la n d g ro u p re le a s e s fo r d e v e l o pm e n t M a jo r A m e n dm e n ts to th e In c o rp o ra te d L a n d F o rm a l iz e s s o c ia l u n i ts c la im in g r ig h ts to th e la n d S ou rce : N a tio na l L and D eve lo pm en t H andbook 6 .3 .1 .4 . S e c u r i ty in B u s in e s s T ra n s a c t io n s T h e L a n d G ro u p In c o rp o ra tio n A c t 1 9 7 4 w a s in tro d u c e d to a llo w c u s to m a ry la n d g ro u p s to h o ld title to a n d m a n a g e la n d th a t h a s b e e n a lie n a te d d u rin g c o lo n ia l tim e s b u t re tu rn e d to th e m u n d e r th e P la n ta tio n R e d is trib u tio n S c h e m e . H o w e v e r, u n d e r th is a rra n g e m e n t, it is d iffic u lt to u s e th e title a s s e c u rity fo r c o m m e rc ia l b o rro w in g . L e a s e -le a s e b a c k is a w o rk a b le o p tio n th a t p ro v id e s s e c u rity fo r th e c u s to m a ry la n d g ro u p w h ile a ls o b e in g a c c e p ta b le to c o m m e rc ia l fin a n c ia l in s titu tio n s . In th e p a s t, it h a s b e e n v e ry d iffic u lt fo r c o m m e rc ia l b a n k s to d e a l w ith c u s to m a ry la n d o w n e rs s e e k in g to g e t b a n k lo a n s to d o b u s in e s s o n c u s to m a ry la n d a n d w a n tin g to u s e la n d a s s e c u rity fo r lo a n . T h e in s titu tio n a l s tru c tu re s in c lu d e th e G o v e rn m e n t, L a n d o w n e rs , w o m e n s ' g ro u p s a n d y o u th s . T h e s e in s titu tio n s e n s u re th a t b o th d ire c t a n d in d ire c t fin a n c ia l b e n e fits a re d ire c te d to th o s e m o s t a ffe c te d b y a n y d e v e lo p m e n t th a t w ill ta k e p la c e o n th e la n d . J o h n s o n (2 0 1 2 ) e x p la in e d th a t th e d ire c t b e n e fits o r c o m p e n s a tio n is d e fin e d a s a n a m o u n t n o t g re a te r th a n th e d is lo c a tio n a n d in c o n v e n ie n c e s u ffe re d b y th o s e m o s t e x p o s e d to th e d e v e lo p m e n t. T h is N a tio na l S u s ta in ab le Land U se P o lic y -2 0 l2 Page 50 includes occupation fees, general com pensation paym ents, com m unity assets and reloca tion paym ents and environm ental paym ents. Benefits above and beyond direct com pensa tion include em ploym ent, business and training opportunities and additional infrastructure. O ther benefits include education, health and infrastructure services such as bridges, clean w ater supply and sanitation and im proved road services. Landow ners businesses diversity and reduce poverty, hunger and m alnutrition. The responsibilities and obligations betw een the G overnm ent, the landow ners and the de velopers w ere underpinned by a num ber of negotiated settlem ents w hich are effective. These agreem ent offer an insight into the expectations of the com m unities before any de velopm ent can take place on the land and also the landow ners expect the G overnm ent and the developers to deliver w hat have been prom ised. There are various types of incom e the local landow ners can benefit from once they register their land for any econom ic develop m ent purposes. The table below show s these different types of incom e the stakeholders w ill receive. Table 2: Income Streams and Distributions Incom e Type R ecipient and Shares (% ) C ustom ary LLG /M unicipal Provincial G overn- N ational G ov Landow ners Authority m ent ernm ent U pfront Leases 100% Land R entals 100% Land Tax 20% 80% Stam p D uties 25% 25% 25% 25% C apital G ains Tax 25% 25% 25% 25% Source: Yala, C. 2012. The investors are not able to directly engage w ith custom ary landow ners due to insecure and som etim es and indeterm inate nature of custom ary land holdings. This reform provides greater security for all parties w anting to access custom ary land for econom ic developm ent and w ealth creation. Voluntary C ustom ary Land R egistration gives secure titles to the cus tom ary landow ners. The parcel of the land identified for developm ent w ill be surveyed and boundaries dem arcated. The Incorporate Land G roup retains the title over the registered portion, and custom ary law ceases to apply to this portion. 6.3.1.5. Efficient and Effective Legal System The land dispute settlem ent com ponent aim s at im proving the system of land dispute set tlem ents by establishing a land court system w hich w ill be relied upon to identify land boundaries w hen incorporating ILG s (incorporation of Land G roups). The proposed land court is expected to facilitate the verification of land boundaries w hen a custom ary lan dow ning social unit has decided to incorporate an ILG . It is also expected to adjudicate if there are disputes over ow nership, especially w ith a neighboring social unit. There could be National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 51 subsequent disputes over land boundaries. These issues will also be handled by the land court. However, with the view to ensuring security of tenure, decisions on land boundary disputes at this stage should be restricted to the proportional distributions of incomes ra ther than on changing the status of the land. For all practical purposes, the alienated portion should never be allowed to revert to the customary land tenure laws. It is important to note that the land court system being established is to deal with land dis putes related to land held under customary tenure only. Disputes on individual land titles, which are formal land titles, issued on the portion released for develop will be adjudicated through the main stream formal court system comprising of district, national and supreme courts. In a rapidly changing society like Papua New Guinea, customary groups are embracing the need to interact with modern formal economies and legal systems. Land is central to eco nomic and social development in contribution to improvements in people's lives because it is often their only real asset. Because the social units own land, it is imperative that the members of the social unit benefit as a group, a family, clan or a tribe. This is a challenging time for Papua New Guinea because while the people are attracted to engage in the mod ern formal economy, they would also like to protect and preserve their customary interests and rights as well. Balancing these customary obligations in a modern business and legal en vironment is a challenge. Through this reform, a legal alliance has been introduced to unlock in the new incorporation of land group processes with voluntary customary land registration enabling customary landowners to utilize portions of their customary land for economic de velopment activity should they wish to. 7.0. THE BESTUSE OF LAND Planning the use of land is through the identification and categorization of land as capable of sustaining intensive or Development Promotion activities, Sustainable Rural Development activities or suitable for Conservation with minimum interference to natural ecosystems provided for within the Physical Planning Act. The declaration of Physical Planning Areas, identifying areas for conservation under scientific and cultural criteria including zoning with in Provincial, Local and Subject Development Plans through facilitating and controlling land use conversion and enforcing evaluation of the best use of land for settlement develop ment, production land use, protection land use and infrastructure land use. The Physical Planning Board's operation and exercise the delegated physical planning powers to appro priate levels. 7.1. Declaration of Physical Planning Areas The declaration of Physical Planning Area is in the national interest. The Minister of the De partment of Lands and Physical Planning may after consideration of advice from the Nation al Physical Planning Board and the Chief Physical Planner and in consultation with the prov ince affected, the Provincial Minister of that Province, by the notice in the National Gazette, declare an area to be a Physical Planning Area in the national interest (Physical Planning Act, National Sustainable Land Use Policy-2012 Page 52 Sec tion 66 and 67). The map shown be low illus tra tes a decla red phys ica l p lann ing area wh ich is H ivaso , in Centra l P rov ince . The decla red phys ica l p lann ing area map shou ld dep ic t the fo llow ing ; 1 . M ost Su itab le A rea 2 . Su itab le 3 . M aybe su itab le 4 . Not Su itab le 5 . Decla red Conserva tion A rea Diagram 5: Map of Central Province highlighting the declared physical planning area known as Hivaso Physical Planning Area. H IVAsa PHYS ICAL PLANN ING AREA CORAL •....•. SEA ••• S tili. 1.)00.000(1("," ).)111<>1'1)- ... .D ...•... •• : "'.•........•..•.. u.. . .,.,. Source: G IS Adm in istra to r , O ffice o f the C h ie f P hysica l P lanner, D epartm en t o f Lands and Physica l P lann ing . P lanned use of land is th rough the iden tifica tion and ca tegoriza tion as capab le o f susta in ing in tens ive or Deve lopm ent P rom otion activ ities , Susta inab le Rura l Deve lopm ent activ ities or su itab le fo r Conserva tion w ith m in im um in te rfe rence to na tu ra l ecosystem s prov ided fo r w ith in the Physica l P lann ing Act. The decla ra tion o f Phys ica l P lann ing A reas, iden tify ing areas fo r conserva tion under sc ien tific and cu ltu ra l crite ria inc lud ing zon ing w ith in P rov inc ia l, Loca l and Sub ject Deve lopm ent P lans th rough fac ilita ting and contro lling land use convers ion and enfo rc ing eva lua tion o f the best use o f land fo r se ttlem ent deve lopm ent, p roduction land use , p ro tection land use and in frastructu re land use . The Physica l P lann ing Board 's opera tion and exerc ise the de lega tion o f powers to appropria te leve ls . Th is is when there is an in te rest in deve lop ing a Sate llite town in a case where there is a new deve lopm ent such as a m in ing or a m ajo r im pact agricu ltu ra l p ro ject is tak ing p lace in an area . A fte r screen ing the deve lopm ent proposa l by concerned Governm ent Agencies, land area in wh ich the deve lopm ent w ill p roceed w ill be surveyed and regard th is as a Physica l Nationa l Susta inab le Land U se Po licy -20 l2 P age 53 r P lann ing A rea . Th is is to con tro l a ll the deve lopm en t tha t a re tak ing p lace in the a rea and p lan to use the land w ise ly to m ee t a ll the needs and wan ts o f the peop le res id ing the re . W ith the sus ta inab le land use p lann ing , it is a im ed in dec la ring a ll the land in Papua New G u inea as Phys ica l P lann ing a rea so tha t the en tire land can be con tro lled and m anaged from sus ta inab le deve lopm en t tha t leads to w ise use and m anagem en t o f resou rces and boos t econom ic g row th . The Phys ica l P lann ing A ct revea ls tha t a ll land in Papua New G u inea is to be dec la red as Phys ica l P lann ing A rea . H oweve r, due to the tenu resh ip w h ich recogn ize the im po rtance o f loca l peop le and so the loca l peop le ow ns the 97% of the land , it is ve ry d ifficu lt to app ly tha t in Papua New G u inea . W hen the sus ta inab le land use po licy is in p lace , it a im s to con tro l the use o f a ll land in Papua New G u inea . 7 .2 . Land Capab ility and Land U se Ca tego riza tion 7.2.1. Development Promotion Areas In de fin ing the ex ten t o f the land in the coun try to be dec la red as D eve lopm en t P rom o tion A reas the pa ram e te rs o f the a reas to be dec la red is as p rov ided fo r by the N a tiona l U rban i za tion Po licy 2010 -2030 and the S tra teg ic D eve lopm en t P lan 2010 -2030 . The ex is ting de c la red phys ica l p lann ing a reas in the coun try au tom a tica lly fa ll unde r a reas dec la red as D e ve lopm en t P rom o tion A rea . H oweve r the ex ten t to w h ich D eve lopm en t P rom o tion A reas is like ly to ex tend w ill ve ry m uch fo llow the deve lopm en t o f a h ie ra rchy o f M egac ities , m a jo r c itie s and na tiona l in te res t c itie s in the coun try in acco rdance to the na tiona l U rban iza tion Po licy . The Deve lopm en t S tra teg ic P lan 2010 -2030 has iden tified 10 econom ic co rrido rs th rough wh ich econom ic deve lopm en t is like ly to take p lace th roughou t and th is w ill de fine the fu ll ex ten t o f D eve lopm en t P rom o tion A rea . B y 2030 a t leas t 10% o f the land in the coun try w ill com e unde r D eve lopm en t P rom o tion A rea . Diagram 6: An example a land classified as Development Promotion Area-Waigani City Centre ...•rrr...... .. g•. ::= :~ -= Source: GIS Administrator, Office of the Chief Physical Planner, DLPP, 2006 National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 ... .- I = ::::::::. •• •.•.•••••.••••• ~~ - .••• -. •• --. ••• •• 12 .• Page 54 The pattern of urban development is likely to follow the 10 econom ic corridors provided by the Strategic Plan if future infrastructure development and investment w ill target the 10 econom ic corridors identified in the Strategic Plan. The pattern of urban development in the country is therefore likely to follow the 10 econom ic corridors. Declared physical planning areas are likely to extend towards the 10 econom ic corridors. Out of the total occupied land, at least 10% of the land will be identified as suitable for urbanization process. Policy meas ures within the development promotion areas focus on developing a dynam ic urban indus trial sector. 7.2.2. Sustainable Rural Areas These areas are concentrated with people who are mainly engaged in econom ic, political, cultural and social activities which are primary oriented. They vary from small agriculture based villages to large scale econom ic projects based on commercial agriculture or extrac tive industries that accommodates thousands of people who work in these sites or projects areas. The type and scale of activities, the conditions of physical environment where these projects takes place depends on the type of econom ic activity as well as the intensity of the use of land. The National Sustainable Land Use Policy aims at managing, controlling and planning all the land that is utilized under this area to make sure that land is used wisely that satisfies the needs of all people involved in the development in the rural areas. Out of the total occupied land, at least 20% of the land identified as suitable for Sustainable Rural Development. Policy measure is to focus on developing a dynam ic rural agriculture sector. Much of the land use activities are currently on subsistence agriculture production. Therefore, the intention is to increase agricultural productivity w ithin the rural areas. 7.2.3. Conservation Areas Protected areas (PA) are part of land use broadly categorized as Conservation Area. Under the protected area system the total land that is identified as protected area is 1, 897, 595 hectares. There are a total of 61 protected areas in the country. The number, types and area of protected areas in PNG are as follows for Fauna (Protection and Control) Act, Under W ildlife Management Area, there are 38 protected areas with a to tal area of 1,723,773 hectares or 90.8% of the total protected area. Fauna (protection and Control) Act Sanctuary Areas there are 5 existing Sanctuary with a total area of 75,271 hec tares or 3.9% of the total protected area. For Fauna (Protection and Control) Act identified as Protected there are two of those with a total area of 20,245 hectares or this makes up to 1.1 % of the total protected areas in the country. Under the Conservation only 1 area has been declared as a Conservation area, the total area is 76,000 hectares which makes up 4% of the total area under conservation All unoccupied areas in the country shall be reserved for conservation purposes. At least 50% should be under strict protection while the rest of the land should be managed under conservation guidelines and converted to other uses when need arises. Map out and de marcate all areas that are critical or sensitive. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 55 D iag ram 7 : A n exam p le o f la nd u se dec la re d a s C onse rva tio n a rea . I LEGEND •• 1 :100 .000 W orkS GeodetIC System 19&4 January 2013 M aia*n K eall.o Loca1Jon of P roceaed Areas I . -,, • ~C ap ita It~ •.....•- .•.... '1 .-- . I ,0 K c*O d~ Im erm Pn :Iled lO n Zone ,0 ---: SCAL I!; PRO JECT ION : DATE: PRODUCED BY : PURPOSE : "..~ i'.:. .. .~ •.•.... . ,....' •••••.•• , sPATIAL SYSTEM S ' DATAIG lS ) BRANCH ~ I \ En\l'lrontl'len t In form atton & $oence 0rvl1C ln bEC po~ t~~~~ :.~ strio PNG Protected Areas Ph : +1615 ) 301 .544 , F ax : • (615 ) 315 0182 Source: Department of Environment and Conservation, 2012. Under the Nationa l Parks Act, there are 8 Nationa l Parks w ith a to ta l area of 8 ,059 hectares or 0.4% of the protected areas. There is 1 P rovincia l park w ith a to ta l area of 77 hectares or 0.004 hectares. There is three reserves w ith a to ta l area of 49 hectares or 0.003 hectares and 3 M em oria l Park w ith a to ta l area of 5 hectares or 0.0003% . The extent o f the Conservation A rea cannot be clearly defined at present until such tim e a proper assessm ent is undertaken to determ ine the extent o f the area to be brought under conservation. 7 .3 . T he R o le o f D eve lo pm en t P la n s Developm ent p lans are w ritten or illustra ted sta tem ent of po licy and proposa ls in respect o f the deve lopm ent and other use of land in the deve lopm ent p lan area and m ay include; i. M easures of the im provem ent of the physica l environm ent and the m anagem ent of tra ffic ii. The zoning of land. Deve lopm ent p lan sha ll be based on a survey of the deve lopm ent p lan area, which sha ll, in the case of a deve lopm ent p lan other than a subject deve lopm ent p lan, inc lude; N a tio na l S u s ta in ab le Land U se P o lic y -2 0 l2 P age 56 i. The physical, social and econom ic characteristics of the area including the pur poses of w hich land is used and in so far as they m ay be expected to affect the developm ent plan area, of any neighboring areas. ii. The size, com position and the distribution of the population of the developm ent plan area. iii. Any considerations not included above w hich m ay be expected to affect any m at ters. A developm ent plan is prepared in order to ensure that physical developm ent takes place in an orderly m anner in accordance w ith stated goals and objectives. The need for a develop m ent is greatest w here developm ent pressures are m ost acute. D evelopm ent plans m ay be prepared for any area in Papua N ew G uinea, w hether in or not it is a physical planning area and m ay include; 7 .3 .1 . P ro v in c ia l D e v e lo p m e n t P la n s These are plans for the entire Province and seek to integrate environm ent, social, econom ic, physical and other principle developm ent policies in physical term s. The plan should have a fifteen years lifespan, but w ould be review ed after ten years. These plans are suppose to integrate and translate social and econom ic planning objectives w ith spatial policies to set out a land use and infrastructure developm ent program for each province (N a t io n a l F ra m e w o rk fo r S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P la n 2 0 0 6 -2 0 3 6 ) . The spatial dim ension to planning is lacking in m ost provinces. The provincial developm ent plans w ould be produced under the fram e w ork set by the sustainable land use policy w ith the principle objective of each plan being to identify areas for conservation, areas for developm ent prom otion and areas of different types of rural based sustainable developm ent. The infrastructures linkages are to be em pha sized in such plans. A zoning plan for the entire province can be incorporated w hich identifies the C onservation Zones (for protection), the developm ent Prom otion Areas (for declaration as R edevelop m ent Zones and m anagem ent of Land U se C onversion), w ith the rem aining bulk of the prov ince zone for sustainable rural uses. These areas are alm ost entirely under custom ary ow n ership and are to be the subject of constructive locally based land use m anagem ent to ad dress rural poverty. O nly w hen these areas are to becom e urbanized w ould they are identi fied w ith urban land use zones. Sustainable Land U se can be m anaged under Environm ent Plans if projects are identified to be called in by D EC . Activities under approved Environm en tal Plans w ould be seen to be conform ing uses. 7 .3 .2 . U rb a n D e v e lo p m e n t P la n s These are plans for the w hole tow n and include land outside a gazetted tow n boundary. These plans shall specify land use w ithin the area of the plan and thus identify infrastructure and services needed to support physical developm ent and show the basis on w hich orderly physical developm ent w ill proceed. These plans are prepared under the fram ew ork set by the N ational U rbanization Plan. In the case of the larger urban centers, w hich are declared as being of the "national interest" due to their im pact extending beyond any provincial N a t io n a l S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o l ic y -2 0 l2 P a g e 5 7 boundary, the contents of the development plans will be aligned to the strategic objective of dispersal of the benefits of urbanization. Development of seven or eight regional centers should absorb a higher proportion of the total volume of urbanization as experienced na tionwide. It is anticipated that each of the other eleven or twelve provincial administrations (not host ing a "national interest" centre) would order an Urban Development Plan for their provincial respective provincial capitals. Smaller urban centers (Ialibu, Tambul, Maprik, and Kupiano) need to be a comprehensive urban development plans. There might be one or two excep tions to this rule. Within the spirit of decentralization provinces are obviously at liberty to determine the details of a lower order planning framework. For example, a Subject or zon ing Development Plan could be identified, within each District Development Plan, for sepa rate and detailed treatment of the urbanized areas of the province. Diagram 8: An example of Urban Development Plan ALOTAU URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2011 - 2031 BROAD ZONINOS Source: GISAdministration, Office of the Chief Physical Planner 7.3.3. Local Development Plans These are development plans for a part of a town or a part of a Province, whether or not within physical, and shall consist of a more detailed than is undertaken in either provincial development plan or urban development plans. These plans are prepared as predominantly rural development plans for each of the districts (electorates of the province. The same zon ing mechanism would be used. Only in respect of districts where there are urban centers declared "in the national interest" would there be deviation from this principle. Either the entire district might be ordered for the preparation of an urban development plan (as in the case of Kokopo, Goroka, Mt. Hagen and central or a substantial part of a district might be declared (as in the case of Madang-Abenod, Lae-Nazab and a greater Wewak urban area). Then the remainder of the district might be linked with adjacent district for development National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 58 planning purposes (Nawae combined w ith Huon Gulf, Madang and Sumkar, W ewak Rural and Yagoru-Sausia). D istrict Development P lans would have to be a shorter timeframe than the Provincia l Devel opment P lans and should be reviewed every five years. The outline plans identified in Pro vincia l Development P lans would be expanded in greater deta ils as pro jects and activ ities in D istrict Development P lans and linked specifica lly to budgetary implementation programs. 7 .3 .4 . Sub ject Deve lopm ent P lans These are development p lans for a particu lar subject matter which may require deta iled at tention. These plans can be ordered accord ing to perceived needs. There is perceived needs at the national level for there to be a Subject Development P lan for National U rbanization P lan. These w ill address the strategic objective of National U rbanization Policy which is now confirmed as," d ispersals of benefits of urbanization both between and w ith in communi ties", This subject p lans covers the largest topic identifiab le to date under the new Devel opment framework. Any success in dispersal of the benefits of urbanization w ill in turn, ad dress the rura l development focus of the National Development S trategy. Only by revita liz ing the smaller d istrict centers can there be a viable service basis for rura l development to be promoted. D iagram 9: An illus tra tion o f Deve lopm ent P lans in a d iagrammatic fo rm . Provincia l Development P lan Subject Development P lan Sources: M ase Udu, O ffice o f the Ch ie f Phys ica l P lanner, DLPP Nationa l Susta inab le Land UsePo licy-20 l2 CENTRAL PROVINCE NATIONAL CAPITAL DISTRICT WAIGANI CITY CENTRE WAIGANI SHOPPING CENTRE Page 59 7.4. The Role of Environment Council and Physical Planning Boards 7.4.1. National Physical Planning Boards The N a tio na l P h ys ica l P la nn in g B oa rd cons id e rs and de te rm ine ; i. A ll p h ys ica l p la nn in g m a tte rs th a t a re con s id e red to be p rim a rily o f n a tio na l in te re s t e xcep t th o se w h ich a re w ho lly w ith in th e N a tio na l C ap ita l D is tr ic t, ii. A ll p h ys ica l p la nn in g m a tte rs from p ro v in ce s w he re a P ro v in c ia l P h ys ica l P la nn in g B oa rd has no t been es ta b lish ed o r is no t p re sen tly em pow e red to hea r m a tte rs due to su spens io n o f P hys ica l P la nn in g pow e rs , iii. A d v ice th e M in is te r o n th e dec la ra tio n o f a n a rea as a phys ica l p la nn in g a rea and the e xe rc ise o f th e M in is te r 's p ow e r to o rde r th e p repa ra tio n o f d e ve lo pm en t p la n s . 7.4.2. Environment Council In ca rry in g ou t its p ow e rs and fun c tio n s unde r E nv iro nm en t A c t 2 000 , (Gerald Natera, and verbal interview), th e C ounc il p u rsue s th e fo llow in g ob je c tive s : i. ca rry in g in to e ffe c t th e ob je c ts o f th e E nv iro nm en t A c t ii. m anagem en t, d e ve lo pm en t and p ro te c tio n o f th e na tio n 's en v iro nm en t in su ch a w ay as to con se rve , re s to re and enhance th e env iro nm en t fo r p re sen t a nd fu tu re gene ra tio n s ; iii. M ax im iz in g P apua N ew G u inean pa rtic ip a tio n in th e w ise u se and deve lo pm en t o f th e env iro nm en t, T he P ow e rs and F unc tio n s o f th e E nv iro nm en t C ounc il in c lu de ; i. to m ake re com m enda tio n s and g ive adv ice to th e M in is te r o r th e D ire c to r o n any m a t te r re fe rre d to it b y th e M in is te r o r th e D ire c to r, ii. to p ro v id e adv ice to th e M in is te r o n th e m ak in g o f E nv iro nm en t P o lic ie s ; iii. to re po rt to th e M in is te r o n any m a tte r re la tin g to ; o th e adm in is tra tio n o fth e E nv iro nm en t A c t o th e am endm en t o f th e E nv iro nm en t A c t o th e p ro te c tio n o f th e env iro nm en t and th e p re ven tio n , con tro l, a nd m in im iza tio n o f e n v iro nm en ta l h a rm o the m anagem en t o f w a te r re sou rce s o to con s id e r and m ake re com m enda tio n s to th e M in is te r o n env iro nm en ta l im pa c t a sse ssm en ts ; o to re v iew dec is io n s o f th e D ire c to r o f E n v iro nm en t o to app ro ve te rm s o f re fe re n ce fo r e n v iro nm en ta l a ud its and in ve s tig a tio n s o T o es ta b lish a W o rk in g C om m itte e o T o ca rry ou t su ch o th e r fu n c tio n s a s a re requ ire d o f it u nde r th e E nv iro nm en t A c t o r a n y o th e r law . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 60 8.0. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PHYSICAL PLANNING SYSTEM IN PA PUA NEW GUINEA The program to establish the national framework for physical planning aims to provide a ho listic approach to planning rather than emphasizing on one aspect of the planning system, which are land use planning, environment management and conservation as well as eco nomic development. It is simplistic and inaccurate to suggest that one factor in planning is the secret to sustainable land use. The planning systems are part of the body of the Government which is made up of different organs and parts. When all the planning systems are balanced with each other, they will create a healthy planning environment conducive to facilitate sustainable development. There is a need for a larger perspective of the planning system. It is important to have a larger perspective of the whole planning system which recognizes the importance of balanc ing all three purpose of sustainable land use. Physical Planning is concerned with the rational and orderly allocation of land for develop ment purpose. The immediate need is to establish effective procedures to enable Physical Planning to cover the whole of Papua New Guinea. This will be achieved through; i. Legislating for the three broad land use zones (development promotion, sustainable rural and conservation areas) to provide an over-arching policy framework for land use. ii. Realigning existing zoning in accordance to the purpose of three broad land use zones. iii. Establishing guidelines, terms of references, codes and practices and standards of land use planning in Papua New Guinea. iv. Applying zoning schedule for sustainable land use planning in the country. v. Taking stock of all state land in the country and encourage customary landowners to release land for development through the Land Reform Program. vi. The preparation and Implementation of Land Management Plan for Papua New Gui nea. vii. The facilitation and Introduction of a Comprehensive Urban and Rural Zoning Plan for Papua New Guinea. viii. The facilitation of a Comprehensive Development Plan framework throughout Papua New Guinea. There is a greater need to improve land use planning practices to promote sustainable land use. The improvement of Physical Planning systems in Papua New Guinea will boost the ide ology of using, developing and managing the land wisely that will have positive impacts on the lives of all people regardless of gender, age, poor or rich. Land belongs to the people and thus whatever type of development or use that it may accommodate, the Physical Plan ning system ensures that it satisfies the needs of all people. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 61 9.0. REFERENCE i. C o n s titu tio n a l a n d L a w R e fo rm C o m m is s io n , 2012. N a tio n a l L a n d D e v e lo p m e n t P ro g ra m T ra in in g M a n u e l, P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . ii. D u g u m a n J o h n , 2 0 0 9 , L e c tu re n o te s o n In te g ra te d C o n s e rv a tio n a n d D e v e lo o m e n t P ro je c ts , U n iv e rs ity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . iii. G a b u t, J . 1 9 9 6 . F ro m R io to R a i: E n v iro n m e n t a n d D e v e lo p m e n t in P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . iv . G e n o la g a n i J o h n , 2 0 0 9 , L e c tu re N o te s o n B io d iv e rs ity C o n s e rv a tio n in P a p u a N e w G u i n e a , U n iv e rs ity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . v . M e ln ic k , D . 2 0 0 5 , E n v iro n m e n t a n d H u m a n W e llb e in g : A P ra c tic a l S tra te g y , N e w Y o rk . v i. M ille r.G .T y le r.1 9 9 4 , L iv in g in th e E n v iro n m e n t (8 th E d itio n ), B e lm o n t, C a lifo rn ia v ii. N a tio n a l F ra m e w o rk fo r P h y s ic a l P la n n in g (2007-2037), P o lic y U n it, P h y s ic a l P la n n in g D iv is io n , D e p a rtm e n t o f L a n d s a n d P h y s ic a l P la n n in g . v iii. N a tio n a l F ra m e w o rk fo r S u s ta in a b le L a n d U s e P o lic y (2006-2036), P o lic y U n it, P h y s ic a l P la n n in g D iv is io n , D e p a rtm e n t o f L a n d s a n d P h y s ic a l P la n n in g . ix . N ita . A , 2 0 0 7 , R e s o u rc e s a n d A d a p ta tio n M e a s u re s , U n iv e rs ity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y . P a p u a N e w G u in e a . x . O n d o p a J u s tin , 2 0 0 8 . L e c tu re N o te s o n L a n d , R e s o u rc e s a n d A d a p tiv e M e a s u re s , U n i v e rs ity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . x i. P a p u a N e w G u in e a D e v e lo p m e n t S tra te g ic P la n 2 0 1 0 -2 0 3 0 . x ii. P a p u a N e w G u in e a M e d iu m T e rm D e v e lo p m e n t P la n 2 0 1 0 -2 0 1 5 x iii. P a p u a N e w G u in e a V is io n 2 0 5 0 x iv . T re x le r, M . 1 9 9 9 , In n o v a tiv e F o re s t F in a n c in g O p tio n s a n d Is s u e s : F o re s t C o n s e rv a tio n a n d M a n a g e m e n t fo r C lim a te C h a n g e M itig a tio n , L o n d o n , E n g la n d . x v . U rs u la K o lk o lo , 2 0 1 0 , L e c tu re N o te s o n C o a s ta l R e s o u rc e s M a n a g e m e n t. U n iv e rs ity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a , P o rt M o re s b y , P a p u a N e w G u in e a . x v i. W e h rm a n n .B . B , 2 0 1 1 , L a n d U s e P la n n in g C o n c e p ts , T o o ls a n d A p p lic a tio n s , E s c h b o rn , G e rm a n y . National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 62 I 10.0. ANNEX 10.1 LegislativeContext Within the established framework of higher order policies which gives the process of devel opment/ separate government agencies have developed their own policies/ legislations/ strategies and plans to facilitate sustainable development. The Department of Lands and Physical Planning administer thirteen Acts of Parliament whose objectives are to facilitate the gazettal of land that is owned by the State. The main Acts includes the Land Act 1996/ Land Registration Act 1981 and the Physical Planning Act 1989 which facilitates for sustainable land use planning and best use of land and its re sources. At the lower level tier of policy and planning in the country/ the focus of policy and planning is through land use planning and managing the spatial impact of development of land use activities upon the physical environment. The Physical Planning Act and the Environment Act provides the framework for the process of planning for sustainable land use. The other supporting legislations that promote the best use of land in Papua New Guinea includes the Land Act/ Land Registration Act/ Building Act Chap.301/ Mining Act/ Free Trades Zones Act/ National Housing Commission Act/ Fisheries Act and Informal Sector Development and Con trol Act. Through the adoption of a suitable over-arching framework for sustainable land use/ we in tend to focus our planning towards achieving the major purpose of planning in the country. The purpose is to shape the social and physical environment to achieve the development goals and directive principles of the country. The application of suitable methods of plan ning for sustainable land use must be within the framework of the established system of planning. 10.1.1. Land Act 1996 This is the legislation that is relating to land and the resources that are found on land. It generally provides for 3-4% of alienated stock to be administered and encouraged for wise development in urban areas or areas that are declared as Physical Planning areas. This Land Act is a law that is made for the purpose of giving effect to the national interest in public order and public welfare/ the purpose of protecting the exercise of rights and freedom of other persons/ and public purposes that are reasonably justified in a democratic society that has a proper regard for the rights and dignity to the people of Papua New Guinea. The Land Act 1996 elaborates on the ownership/ allocation and release of state and custo mary land for development purpose thus to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of the people. In terms of ownership/ land is either owned by the state or the local people. In Pa pua New Guinea/ much of the land is owned by the local people which are about 97% and the state owned about 3% of the land. The allocation of land for different land uses is facilitated by the Physical Planning Division of the Department of Lands and Physical Planning. For allocation/ the state land has been con National Sustainable Land Use Policy-2012 Page 63 tro lle d a n d a llo c a te d fo r v a r io u s ty p e s o f la n d u s e a n d th u s p la n n in g fo r th is 3 % o f la n d h a s p ro g re s s e d w e ll th u s fa r , b u t re g a rd in g th e c u s to m a ry la n d , it w a s a ll c o n tro lle d , a llo c a te d a n d m a n a g e d b y th e la n d o w n e rs th e m s e lv e s . H o w e v e r, m u c h o f th e s ta te v a c a n t la n d h a s b e e n o c c u p ie d b y ille g a l s e tt le rs a n d th is is a v e ry s e r io u s is s u e th a t c o n tr ib u te s to s ta te la n d s h o rta g e in P a p u a N e w G u in e a . 1 0 .1 .2 . L a n d R e g is tra tio n A c t 1 9 8 1 T h is A c t a im s to p ro te c t th e r ig h ts o f th e p e rs o n w h o is th e le g a l o w n e r o f th e la n d . R e g is tra t io n o f la n d is d o n e to re c o g n iz e th e o w n e r o f th e la n d b y is s u in g a tit le to th e la n d . T h is a c t a p p lie s to a ll S ta te la n d in P a p u a N e w G u in e a . T h e re g is tra tio n o f la n d fo rm a liz e s th e tit le a n d th u s id e n tif ie s w h o is th e le g a l te n a n t o f th a t p ro p e rty . 1 0 .1 .3 . L a n d R e g is tra tio n (A m e n d m e n t) A c t 2 0 0 9 A fte r th e tit le is is s u e d th e o w n e r h a s th e p o w e r to le a s e th e la n d to a d e v e lo p e r w h o h a s a n in te re s t o v e r th a t la n d . T h is is p o s s ib le th ro u g h th e la n d re fo rm p ro g ra m w h ic h in it ia lly ta k e s its s ta ll in 2 0 0 9 b y im p le m e n tin g th e tw o n e w le g is la t io n s w h ic h a re th e In c o rp o ra te d L a n d G ro u p s (A m e n d m e n t) A c t 2 0 0 9 a n d th e L a n d R e g is tra tio n (A m e n d m e n t) A c t 2 0 0 9 . T h e a m e n d m e n ts to th e L a n d R e g is tra tio n A c t 2 0 0 9 a re in te n d e d to p ro v id e a s y s te m o f re g is tra t io n s o f th o s e p o rt io n s o f c u s to m a ry la n d w h ic h th e c u s to m a ry la n d o w n e rs th ro u g h th e ir IL G d e c id e to re g is te r to p u t to e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t a c tiv ity . T h e m a in fe a tu re s o f th e a m e n d m e n ts in c lu d e ; i. A D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d R e g is tra tio n w ill b e a p p o in te d to o v e rs e e a n d m a n a g e th e a d m in is tra t iv e p ro c e s s a n d fa c ilita te th e p ro c e s s o f c u s to m a ry la n d re g is tra tio n w h e re th e D ire c to r w ill b e re s p o n s ib le fo r re c e iv in g a n d v e r ify in g th e a p p lic a tio n s fo r c u s to m a ry la n d re g is tra tio n to e n s u re c o m p lia n c e w ith a ll th e re q u ire m e n ts u n d e r th e A c t, ii. T h e a p p lic a tio n fo r re g is tra t io n w ill b e in th e fo rm o f d ra ft R e g is tra tio n P la n a n d a fte r th e v e r if ic a tio n p ro c e s s , th e D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d w ill th e n b e re q u ire d to fo r w a rd a c o p y o f th e R e g is tra tio n P la n ta k in g fu ll a c c o u n t o f a n y a d ju s tm e n ts a r is in g fro m th e p u b lic s u b m is s io n s a n d th e v e r if ic a tio n p ro c e s s c o n d u c te d b y th e D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d s a n d s u b m it to th e D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d . iii. A t th e e x p iry o f 9 0 d a y s , a n d o n ly w h e re n e c e s s a ry a n d a p p ro p r ia te , th e R e g io n a l S u rv e y o r s h a ll b e re q u ire d to p re p a re a n A d ju s te d R e g is tra tio n P la n ta k in g fu ll a c c o u n t o f a n y a d ju s tm e n ts a r is in g fro m th e p u b lic s u b m is s io n s a n d th e v e r if ic a tio n p ro c e s s c o n d u c te d b y th e D ire c to r o f C u s to m e r L a n d a n d s u b m its it to th e D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d . iv . T h e D ire c to r o f C u s to m a ry L a n d is th e n re q u ire d to p re p a re a F in a l re g is tra t io n P la n a s s o o n a s p ra c tic a b le a n d re tu rn to th e IL G c o n c e rn e d . T h e IL G c o n c e rn e d w ill th e n b e re q u ire d to s u b m it to th e R e g is tra r o f T it le th e n e c e s s a ry d o c u m e n ta tio n in c lu s iv e o f th e fin a l R e g is tra tio n P la n a n d th e p a rt ic u la r IL G C e rtif ic a te o f In c o rp o ra tio n fo r is s u a n c e o f th e c e rt if ic a te o f T it le . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 64 The Land Registration(Amendment) Act 2009 'g ive s e ffe ct to th e N a tio n a l G o a ls a n d D ire c tive P rin cip le s o f th e C o n stitu tio n o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a a s th e y re la te a n d a p p ly to th e o w n e rsh ip o f la n d h e ld u n d e r cu sto m a ry te n u re a n d d e a lin g s in th o se la n d s a n d in p a rticu la r to; i. A llo w d e ve lo p m e n t to ta ke p la ce p rim a rily th ro u g h th e u se o f In co rp o ra te d L a n d G ro u p s; ii. E n co u ra g e tra d itio n a l villa g e s a n d co m m u n itie s to re m a in a s a via b le u n its o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a so cie ty a n d fo r a ctive ste p s to b e ta ke n to im p ro ve th e ir cu ltu re , so cia l, e co n o m ica l a n d e th ica l q u a litie s, iii. P ro m o te a n d fa cilita te th e re g istra tio n o f th e la n d h e ld u n d e r cu sto m a ry la w ' (C L R C , 2008:92). L a n d is p le n tifu l in P a p u a N e w G u in e a a n d w e a lth is lo cke d u p in la n d , h o w e ve r, th a t p le n ti fu l la n d in e co n o m ic te rm s is a ctu a lly a m o u n ta in o f d e a d ca p ita l b e ca u se o f th e in h e re n t n a tu re o f cu sto m a ry te n u re syste m . T h e re fo re a p p ro p ria te m e a su re s o r re fo rm s a re re q u ire d fo r co n ve rsio n o f la n d a s d e a d ca p ita l to la n d a s live ca p ita l. T h e le g a l a p p a ra tu s is n e ce ssa ry so th a t la n d is fre e d u p fo r re co g n itio n b y fin a n cia l in stitu tio n s. T h is sh o u ld le a d s to a ch ie vin g b ro a d e r d e ve lo p m e n t o b je ctive s a n d re d u cin g e co n o m ic p o ve rty fo r th e m a jo rity o f P a p u a N e w G u in e a n s. M o st sp e cifica lly, th e d ire ct o u tco m e s a re ; i. T o a cq u ire la n d title fo r cu sto m a ry la n d a n d u se la n d a s lo a n g u a ra n te e fo r d e ve lo p m e n t a ctivity, ii. H e lp re d u ce la n d d isp u te s o ve r b o u n d a rie s iii. A cce ss to cu sto m a ry la n d fo r re se ttle m e n t o f p e o p le a ffe cte d b y n a tu ra l d isa ste rs a n d g o ve rn m e n t n e e d s to re sp o n d s to d e m a n d s o n in fra stru ctu re a n d p u b lic se rvice s b y a cce ssin g cu sto m a ry la n d . O n e o f th e im p o rta n t fa cto rs o f p ro d u ctio n in P a p u a N e w G u in e a is la n d , w h ich is lo cke d u p b e ca u se o f o u td a te d a n d in e fficie n t la n d a d m in istra tio n a n d le g a l fra m e w o rks a n d d ive rg e n t cu sto m a ry la n d te n u re syste m . C o n se q u e n tly, P a p u a N e w G u in e a re m a in s sh a ckle d in p o ve rty, in a la n d rich co u n try. C u sto m a ry la n d is w h a t th a t is o w n e d b y th e in d ig e n o u s co m m u n itie s a n d a d m in iste re d in a cco rd a n ce w ith th e ir cu sto m s a s o p p o se d to sta tu to ry te n u re u su a lly in tro d u ce d d u rin g co lo n ia l p e rio d . T h e re le a se o f cu sto m a ry la n d is o n e o f th e o p tio n s a n d th a t is to fre e u p th e cu sto m a ry la n d fo r d e ve lo p m e n t p u rp o se . T h e vo lu n ta ry cu sto m a ry la n d re g istra tio n is to a ct a s a m irro r o f th e la n d , re fle ctin g th e in te re sts o ve r th e la n d , th e p h ysica l a re a , a n d th e title to it. R e g istra tio n fo rm a lize s title s so th a t la n d is n o lo n g e r b e co m e s ju st a m a tte r o f b irth , n a m e o f re si d e n ce , b u t th e q u e stio n o f la w . F u rth e rm o re , re g istra tio n se rve s a s a u se fu l p u rp o se w h e re la n d is m a rke ta b le co m m o d ity a n d ch a n g e s h a n d s fre q u e n tly. It a lso p ro vid e s se cu rity o f te n u re w h e re re g istra tio n is d e e m e d to b e in d e fe a sib le . C u sto m a ry la n d is h e ld b y a la n d g ro u p a cco rd in g to lo ca l cu sto m . T ra d itio n a lly, cu sto m a ry o w n e rs n e ve r co n sid e r th e ir la n d a s p ro p e rty b u t a s a d o m a in fo r su rviva l o f la n d g ro u p m e m b e rs, p a st, p re se n t a n d fu tu re . A ll kin d s o f so cia l, sp iritu a l a n d e co lo g ica l a n d su b sis National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 65 tence values intend in such land. But from business point of view in modern sector it is an asset with no value. It is a property, it is outside the modern sector and isolated from main stream development (CLRC,2012). In order for the majority of the population to be involved in the mainstream economy, the people must make a transition from being masters of a domain to being communal property owners. Customary land management is the social contract for customary land and this social contract between the members and the land group sets the terms and conditions for land use within the land group. The customary so cial contract remains intact after registration, ownership remains intact, issue of title to an Incorporated Land Group (ILG) as empowered the group to convert its previous locked up and commercially valueless asset (land) to a valuable property able to be shaped and em ployed to the group's advantage. Lease-Lease Back Titles (Special Agriculture and Business Lease) are only issued to the Lan downers over their customary land upon their request in the form of formal application. Their application is processed through the normal process as provided for in the Land Act 1996, under Sections 11 and 102. The customary landowners agreed to release their land for agriculture purposes and thus with one heart, release their land for agriculture project development. The Lease-Lease Back process is one where landowners lease their customary land direct to the State hence the State will lease it back to them for 99 years giving them a Special Agricultural and Business Lease Title. Should there be a developer or investor, a sep arate agreement is made between the two parties. The sublease agreement is between the landowners and the developer and it must be registered. 10.1.4. Incorporation Land Group (Amendment) Act 2009 This legislation recognizes the corporate nature of customary groups and allows them to hold, manage and deal with land in their respective customary groups. The purpose of this Act are to encourage greater participation by local people in the national economy by the use of land, better use of such land, greater certainty of title and better and more effectual settlement of land disputes. Our customary land is essential and important to our lives in Papua New Guinea. Therefore the issue of land reform in customary land tenure is a very sensitive and emotional one. Previous attempts made were failed. Our customary land in particular is the very basis upon which above 80% of our people live off and from .. The customary land that we own through our land owning social units such as clans, gives to many of us our livelihood. Therefore, it is very central to our lives. However, due to the changes introduced through this modern economy in particular, some of the uses we make of our customary land have changed. In other words, customary land use is changing and in some sections of our country, they are changing very fast. We no longer use slash and burn shifting cultivation but we are now increasingly using our custo mary land to plant commercial or income earning crops to enable us to meaningfully partic ipate in cash economy. Because such land use is largely longer term use and exclusive in na ture, there are now tensions and signs of strains of customary land tenure. Consequently, we are now witnessing relatives, cousins or even brothers killing each other over disputes over the use of customary land. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 66 In order to address these issues, the National Government has a responsibility to ensure that it has the necessary interventions to ensure that the social and economic changes that are occurring do not bring disunity and other social problems but rather peace and prosperi ty to all. The National Government therefore has recommended appropriate legislations in volving the systems of voluntary customary land registration through; i. The incorporation of ILGs but with the injections of appropriate accountability me chanisms and management processes for transparent and effective governance and management of ILGs by causing appropriate amendments to the existing Land Group Incorporation Act; ii. Subsequent voluntary customary land registration utilizing the ILG as the corporate person and vehicle for perpetual ownership for and on behalf of all the customary landowners by causing appropriate amendments to the existing Land Registration Act. These Acts marks the first most important step towards reform in customary land tenure which empowers customary landowners to participate meaningfully for economic develop ment in a fair, equitable and convenient manner that satisfies all people in the society with out depriving their rights. Unfortunately, under the prevailing arrangements, the access too and use of customary land is not all that is fair and equitable because the vulnerable groups in the societies of the land owning units do not enjoy much economic benefits, if any, de rived from the use of their collective customary land by the other fellow customary lan downers who may be in a stronger economical, political and physical situation. Therefore, these reforms now found in the Lands Group Incorporation (Amendment) Act 2009 and the Land Registration (Customary Land) (Amendment) Act 2009 are designed to enable Papua New Guinea to be in control through their respective land owning social units via their ILG and then develop their customary land in a fair and equitable manner that must not disadvantage any fellow member of respective land owning social units. The key features of the land reform introduced by the two laws that includes the Lands Group Incorporation (Amendment) Act 2009 and the Land Registration (Amendment) Act 2009 are; i. The first stage involves the incorporation of ILGs and second stage involves the regis tration of portion only of customary landowners through the ILG if the people wish to put their registered land to economic development activity with secured titles. ii. The amendments to the ILG legislations are intended to; o Formalize and tighten up on the process of incorporation by involving the District Administrator, Village Court Officials and local ward members in the incorporation process to inject greater transparency and accountability into the whole process of incorporation. o To link people through a formal statutory instrument to person manned on the list of membership by requiring the submission of a formal birth certificate obtained under the Civil Registry Act for all persons on the list of membership of the pro posedlLG. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 67 o Just as a Papua New Guinean be long to on ly one c lan , tribe or such o ther land own ing soc ia l un it, m u ltip le m em bers to ILG s is p roh ib ited . o L ink custom ary land to proposed ILG , an app lica tion fo r inco rpora tion w ill be re qu ired to have a ttached to it a fu ll and com p le te ske tch m ap o f a ll the land wh ich the m embers o f the ILG own if the re are d ispu tes over boundary w ith ne ighboring c lans then such d ispu tes w ill be requ ired to be c lea rly m arked ou t and s igned by the represen ta tives o f the d ispu ting parties on the body o f the ske tch m ap to m ark the exten t o f the d ispu ted boundaries . Th is is des igned to avo id the need to go th rough a pro trac ted court ba ttles over the d ispu ted boundaries and stifle the process o f in co rpora tion o f ILG s. o G rea te r transparency and accoun tab ility w ill be in jec ted in to the m anagem ent o f ILG s ho ld ing the ILG Managem ent Comm ittee respons ib le and accoun tab le th rough the im pos ition o f s trong Code o f Conducts w ith s trong fiduc ia ry ob liga tions and the im pos ition o f crim ina l sanction where is a fa ilu re on the pa th o f the M anagem ent Comm ittee to d ischarge the various du ties and ob liga tions im posed under the new prov is ions o fthe law . The Land G roup Incorporation (Amendment) Act 2009 'g ives e ffec t to the Nationa l G oa ls and D irec tive P rinc ip les o f the Constitu tion o f Papua New Guinea as they re la te and app ly to the ownersh ip o f land he ld under custom ary tenure and dea lings in those lands and in particu la r to; i. A llow deve lopm ent to take p lace prim arily th rough the use o f Papua New Guinea fo rm s o f soc ia l and po litica l o rgan iza tion , ii. Encourage active steps to be taken to fac ilita te the organ iza tion and lega l recogn i tion o f the groups engag ing in deve lopm ent activ ities , iii. To ensure the in teg rity and v iab ility o f these assoc ia tions, iv . P rov ide fo r the ir transparen t and e ffec tive m anagem ent' (C LRC .2008 :54). Land is the s ing le m ost im portan t m ate ria l asse t o f the peop le o f Papua New Guinea . F rom fe rtile so ils , abundan t m arine life and rich m inera l resources to som e of the world 's m ost b iod ive rse ecosystem s and un ique landscapes, land prov ides Papua New Guinea w ith the po ten tia l fo r g rea t p rosperity . Ye t th is has no t been Papua New Guinea 's experience . De sp ite Papua New Guinea 's rich supp ly o f land resources, the re has been next to no progress in deve lop ing land-based industries . Past e ffo rts to re fo rm land system s have la rge ly fa iled . It is obv ious tha t less than 5% of land is cu rren tly con tribu ting to econom ic deve lopm ent. M eanwh ile , e igh ty-five percen t o f the coun try 's popu la tion rem a ins dependen t on subs is tence fo r the ir live lihood , earn ing less than K200 .00 per annum . Furthe rm ore , ha lf o f the ru ra l popu la tion has little to o r no access to bas ic se rv ices. The land re fo rm ing o f custom ary land has sound prom is ing as it w ill sus ta in the lives o f ru ra l poor who have been neg lected fo r so m any years w ithou t se rv ices. A fte r the fo rm a l titling o f the custom ary land , the re is a grea t need fo r phys ica l p lann ing where the experts in phys ica l p lann ing need to iden tify and a lloca te the uses o f the reg is te red custom ary land . Th is has no t been the case in the past and so we are now work ing towards it to im prove on tha t. In o rder to rea lize the Goa ls o f the h igher o rder po lic ies such as the Deve lopm ent G oa ls and National Susta inable Land UsePolicy-20 l2 Page 68 D irec tive P rinc ip les , V is ion 2050 and Deve lopm en t S tra teg ic P lan 2010 -2030 and im p lem en t the G ove rnm en t po lic ies on sus ta inab le econom ic and soc ia l deve lopm en t w h ich requ ire an in teg ra ted app roach to phys ica l p lann ing in Papua New Gu inea . 10.1.5. Environment Act 2000 Th is leg is la tion a im s to p ro tec t the env ironm en t and a lso regu la te the env ironm en ta l im pac ts o f deve lopm en t ac tiv ities in o rde r to p rom o te sus ta inab le deve lopm en t o f the env i ronm en t, econom ic , soc ia l and phys ica l w e llbe ing o f peop le by sa fegua rd ing the life -suppo rt capac ity fo r p resen t and fu tu re gene ra tion . Fu rthe rm ore , The Env ironm en t A c t p rov ides fo r the m anagem en t, conse rva tion and p ro tec tion o f the env ironm en t from unsus ta inab le land use ac tiv ities ou ts ide Phys ica l P lann ing A reas . The th ree b road land uses inc ludes , D eve lopm en t P rom o tion , S us ta inab le R ura l D eve lop m en t and Conse rva tion A rea . The re fo re , the con tro l, p ro tec t and m anagem en t o f the env i ronm en t and its na tu ra l resou rces fa lls unde r the ca tego ry o f conse rva tion a rea . The Na tiona l P ro tec ted A rea Po licy is pa rt o f land use b road ly ca tego rized as Conse rva tion A rea . The Depa rtm en t o f E nv ironm en t and Conse rva tion is respons ib le fo r p lann ing and m anage m en t o f these a reas , w h ils t the D eve lopm en t p rom o tion is the respons ib ility P hys ica l P lan n ing w h ils t S us ta inab le R ura l D eve lopm en t is the sha red respons ib ility o f the D epa rtm en t o f E nv ironm en t and Conse rva tion and Phys ica l P lann ing w ith in the fram ework o f Sus ta inab le Land U se Po licy . The imm ed ia te need o r requ irem en t fo r po licy and p lann ing fo r P ro tec tion Land U se a re as fo llow s ; i. Iden tifica tion o f land su itab le fo r p ro tec tion land use fo r the rehab ilita tion , conse rva tion and m anagem en t o f sens itive o r c ritica l ecosys tem s. ii. D em arca tion : w h ile som e pro tec ted a reas have been m apped ou t, these a reas have to be m arked ou t on the g round . The iden tifica tion and dem arca tion on the g round w ill lead to the reso lu tion o f con flic ts in so fa r as de fin ing the ex ten t to w h ich ce rta in land use ac tiv ities a re to be a llow ed in p ro tec ted a reas .. iii. M app ing ou t these a reas : M app ing ou t a reas such as C ritica l o r S ens itive such as C rit ica l W a te rsheds , P rio rity Te rres tria l A reas , P rio rity W e tland A reas , and M arine P rio ri ty A reas is im po rtan t to de te rm ine the ex ten t o f land to be b rough t unde r C onse rva tion Zone . iv . M a rk ing ou t these a reas on the g round : A reas tha t pose ex trem e and frequen t dan ge r shou ld be g iven p rio rity in reso lv ing con flic ts . v . P repa ra tion o f Sub jec t D eve lopm en t P lans : p ro tec tion Land U se seeks to ach ieve en v ironm en t s tab ility and eco log ica l in teg rity ; ensu re ba lance be tw een resou rce use and the p rese rva tion o f som e educa tiona l, cu ltu ra l and h is to rica l s ign ificance and p ro tec t peop le and m an-m ade s truc tu res from ill e ffec ts o f na tu ra l haza rds . The Phys ica l P lann ing ac t p rov ides fo r the p repa ra tion o f Sub jec t deve lopm en t P lana fo r th is pu rpose . National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 69 1 0 .1 .6 . P h y s ic a l P la n n in g A c t 1 9 8 9 T h e P h y s ic a l P la n n in g A c t s e ts a s a g u id e lin e o n th e p h y s ic a l d e v e lo pm e n t, m a n a g em e n t a n d th e b e s t u s e o f la n d a n d la n d re s o u rc e s in P a p u a N ew G u in e a . I t fu r th e r g u id e s th e u s e a n d d e v e lo pm e n t o f la n d w ith in a re a s d e c la re d a s p h y s ic a l p la n n in g a re a s . T h e le g is la t io n p ro v id e s fo r th e re to b e th re e c a te g o r ie s o f d e v e lo pm e n t o r la n d u s e m a tte rs w h ic h a re e ith e r e x em p tio n from o r s u b je c t to c o n tro l u n d e r p la n n in g s y s tem ; i. D e v e lo pm e n t o r u s e o f la n d w h ic h a re o u ts id e o f p h y s ic a l o f p h y s ic a l c o n tro l i i. D e v e lo pm e n t o r u s e o f la n d s w h ic h a re w ith in th e s p h e re o f p la n n in g c o n tro l b u t w h ic h a re a u tom a tic a lly a p p ro v e d v ia o n c e a n d fo r a ll d e c is io n s . ii i. D e v e lo pm e n t o r u s e o f la n d w h ic h is w ith in th e s p h e re o f p la n n in g c o n tro l a n d re q u ire s a s p e c if ic d e c is io n b y a u th o r ity . T h e P h y s ic a l P la n n in g A c t p ro v id e s th e fram ew o rk fo r S p a t ia l P la n n in g in P a p u a N ew G u in e a . T h is e n a b le s th e th re e le v e ls o f g o v e rnm e n t to g u id e th e p la n n e d a llo c a t io n , d e v e lo pm e n t, m a n a g em e n t a n d b e s t u s e o f la n d a n d la n d re s o u rc e s in u rb a n a n d ru ra l a re a s . 1 0 .1 .7 . B u ild in g A c t C h a p .3 0 1 T h e p u rp o s e o f th is le g is la t io n is to re g u la te th e c o n s tru c t io n o f p h y s ic a l s tru c tu re s th ro u g h o u t th e c o u n try . T h e fo c u s is to re g u la te th e c o n s tru c t io n o f b u ild in g s tru c tu re s w ith in u rb a n a re a s in th e c o u n try . T h e p e rm a n e n t b u ild in g s tru c tu re s w ith in th e u rb a n a re a s h a v e b e e n a s s e s s e d fo r th e ir s ta n d a rd s . I t fu r th e r re g u la te , c o n tro l th e u s e o f a b u ild in g a n d th e la n d o n w h ic h th e b u ild in g is e re c te d , b o th d u r in g a n d a fte r c o n s tru c t io n o f th e b u ild in g . T h e B u ild in g B o a rd s a re e s ta b lis h e d to a s s e s s th e b u ild in g p la n s p ro v id e d b y th e d e v e lo p e r . 1 0 .1 .8 . M in in g A c t 1 9 9 2 T h e M in in g A c t 1 9 9 2 re g u la te s th e m in e ra ls a n d m in in g in P a p u a N ew G u in e a . T h e A c t s t ip u la te th u s , g iv in g e ffe c t to th e p e o p le in fu lf i l l th e ir in te re s t a n d th u s s a t is f ie s th e ir n e e d s a n d w a n ts w h ic h le a d s to a d e c e n t a n d h e a lth y life s ty le . T h is m e a n s th a t w h e n a n e x p lo ra t io n is c a r r ie d o u t in a n a re a , th e c om p a n y m u s t c o n s id e r th e n a t io n a l in te re s t in p rom o tin g s u s ta in a b le d e v e lo pm e n t s o th a t a ll p e o p le in th e s o c ie ty c a n liv e a p e a c e fu l a n d d e c e n t life s ty le . A ll m in e ra ls e x is t in g o n , in o r b e lo w th e s u r fa c e o f a n y la n d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a , in c lu d in g a n y m in e ra ls c o n ta in e d in a n y w a te r ly in g o n a n y la n d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a , a re th e p ro p e r ty o f th e s ta te . S u b je c t to th is A c t, a ll la n d in P a p u a N ew G u in e a , in c lu d in g a ll w a te r ly in g o v e r th a t la n d , is a v a ila b le fo r e x p lo ra t io n a n d m in in g a n d th e g ra n ts o f te n em e n ts o v e r it . T h e M in in g A c t s e ts a s a c o rn e rs to n e in c o n tro ll in g , re g u la t in g a n d w is e u s e o f la n d re s o u rc e s a n d m in e ra l e x p lo ra t io n in P a p u a N ew G u in e a . 1 0 .1 .9 . In fo rm a l S e c to r D e v e lo pm e n t a n d C o n tro l A c t 2 0 0 3 T h e p u rp o s e o f th is le g is la t io n is to o p t im iz e th e u s e o f la n d to p rom o te d e v e lo pm e n t o f th e in fo rm a l e c o n om y . C om m u n ity d e v e lo pm e n t 's m a in fo c u s is in c om m u n ity w e lfa re a n d d e v e lo pm e n t. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 70 The act encourages and facilita tes the development of informal businesses in both urban and rural areas. It further regulates and contro ls the development of informal businesses in the interest of protecting people 's health and safety. It a lso gives mandate to the under privileged and disadvantaged people to actively involved in small business activ ities to sus ta in themselves in order to partic ipate in the democratic society earning proper regard or respect for the dignity of their contribution in econom ic development. 10.1.10. National Housing Commission Act The purpose of th is legislation is to plan for the better use of land in provid ing adequate and decent housing to all people in Papua New Guinea. It further elaborates on provid ing af fordable and decent housing in urban areas. It encourages the development of land for resi dentia l purposes in both urban and rural areas and allows for w ise use of land. A t present, since the human population in towns and the city of Port Moresby is increasing that in creases the demand for affordable housing to the urban areas as a result there is an in crease in squatter settlements. Adequate housing is critica l to fostering healthy liv ing standards which in turn enhances de velopment in other sectors such as health, education, econom ic development and employ ment. Thus, housing is a basic need which stimulates grow th in the land and housing indus try. 10.1.11. Fisheries Act The purpose of th is legislation is to promote the management and sustainable development of fisheries. The Act aims to promote the objective of optimum utilization and long term sustainable development of liv ing resources and the need to utilize liv ing resources to achieve econom ic grow th, human resource development and employment creation and thus a sound ecological balance. The act further encourages the management of fish stocks w ith in the archipelagic and national waters of Papua New Guinea. This ensures that management measures are based on the best scientific evidence available, and are designed to mainta in or restore stocks at levels capable of producing maximum sus ta inable yie ld, as qualified by relevant environmental and econom ic factors including fishing patterns, the interdependence of stocks and recommended international fish ing standards. 10.2. National Institution's Roles under their legislations 10.2.1. Department of Lands and Physical Planning (Land Act, Physical Planning Act & Land Registration Act, Incorporated Land Group Act) The Land Act 1996 applies to grant, lease, license, perm it, estate, right, title , in terest, power, duty to land that is owned by the State. The Land Registration Act 1981 deals w ith the regis tration of titles to land. The Physical P lanning Act 1989 binds the state meaning all land in Papua New Guinea is subject to planning regardless of either S tate or customary tenureship. The Act establishes a comprehensive mechanism for physical p lanning at national and pro vincia llevels of Government and to provide powers for the planning and regulation of phys ical development on land in Papua New Guinea. The management agencies to achieve the National Sustainable Land Use Policy-20l2 Page 71 purpose are the National Physical Planning Board and the Land Board. All land in Papua New Guinea, other than customary land is the property of the State. In terms of land administra tion the agency has not been able to release customary land to meet the demand for physi cal development in the country. Physical Planning has focused in planning for the best use of land within state land which makes up 3% of land in the country. The large proportion of land (97%) is under customary control indicates the emphasis placed by the Government on protecting the rights of customary landowners. 10.2.2. Department of Environment and Conservation ( Environment Act 2000) The purpose of the agency and its legislation is to manage and protect the environment throughout the country. The main focus at present is to assess environmental plans and economic projects and manage protected areas throughout the country. The management agencies to achieve the purpose of the agencies and legislations are through the Environ ment Council. The success in terms of agencies record in effectively managing economic projects and protecting the environment in the country has suffered a great deal of from poor environmental practices. 10.2.3. Department of Works (Building Act) The purpose of the agency and its legislation is to regulate the construction of Physical structures throughout the country. Its main focus at the moment is to regulate the construc tion of building structures within urban areas in the country. The management agency to achieve the purpose of the agency and legislation is through the Environment Council. The level of success is seen whilst permanent building structures within the areas do not meet these standards. 10.2.4. Department of Mining (Mining Act) The purpose of the agency and its legislation is for the best use of mineral resources to promote sustainable economic development in the country. Its main focus at the moment is to promote the extraction of mineral resources in production land use areas to facilitate economic development in the country. Management agencies to achieve the purpose of the agency and legislation are through the Environment Council. The level success is seen through the mining development in the country, which has contributed immensely to the economy of the country, whilst at the same time destroying the environment. 10.2.5. PNG Forest Authority (Forestry Act) The purpose of the agency and its legislation is to manage the use of forest resources and develop forest resources throughout the country. Its main focus at the moment is to pro mote the extraction of forest resources to contribute towards economic development in the country. The management agency to achieve the purpose of the agency and legislation is through the Environment Council. There has been extensive damage done to the natural vegetation of the country as a result of deforestation. National Sustainable Land UsePolicy-20l2 Page 72 10 .2 .6 . Departm ent o f Commun ity Deve lopm ent (In fo rm a l Secto r Contro l and Deve lop m ent Act) The purpose of the agency and its legislation is to plan for the better use of land to promote the development of the informal economy. Its main focus at the moment is in community welfare and development. Management agency to achieve this is through the Physical Plan ning Board. At the moment, the rate of informal market is growing very fast due to the fact that many of the people in Papua New Guinea do not receive a formal employment and thus through the informal sector they sustain themselves. There should be some assigned location for the people in the informal sector to do their business. 10 .2 .7 . Na tiona l Hous ing Comm iss ion (Nationa l Hous ing Comm iss ion Act) The purpose of the agency and legislation is to provide adequate and decent housing needs to all the people in the country. Its main focus is to provide affordable housing to the urban population. The management agency to achieve this purpose and legislation of the agency is through the Physical Planning Board and the Building Board. The National Housing Corpora tion has not been able to meet the demand for affordable housing to the urban areas as a result there has been an increase in squatter settlements. Nationa l Susta inab le Land Use Po licy-2012 Page 73