MANAGALAS Conservation area in Ijivitari, Oro Province is the first in Papua New Guinea to establish partnership with US Department of Agriculture to implement sustainable land use.
According to the Legal and Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Managalas Conservation, Damien Ase, Oro province will take the lead to be the first province in PNG to implement the National Sustainable Land Use Policy and Managalas project is happy to be the first project to implement this.
The Managalas project is the initiative of Oro Provincial Government (OPG) in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The partnership will allow United States Forest Service and OPG to implement the National Sustainable Land Use Policy approved by the National Government in 2022.
As a way forward for effective implementation and work on the ground, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between US Forest Service International Program’s agricultural department, Department of Lands & Physical Planning (DLPP) and OPG to work on sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management.
The MoA signing was done virtually by the US Department of Agriculture and was physically witnessed by representatives from the Department of Lands & Physical Planning, Managalas Project, US Embassy and the OPG at the University of Natural Resources (UNRE), Oro Campus, in Popondetta.
Prior to the MOA signing, the consultations and negotiations were reached at a two days conference last year hosted by the United States Agricultural Department in Port Moresby.
Mr. Ase pointed out that USDA will be assisting the project with the Ranger’s Program by training and providing technical support for monitoring, evaluation and supporting the natives to protect and manage their land in a more sustainable way.
Provincial Administrator for Oro Province, Trevor Magei stressed the need to recognise landowner rights and also for partners and interested stakeholders to make more awareness on the concept to ensure better understanding is generated among the benefiting communities.
According to the USDA, the signing of the MoA will create a pathway and provide a platform for the professional exchange of subject matter expertise in the specialty of natural resource management between the United States and PNG while fostering partnerships and collaboration between government entities and other interested stakeholders.
This joint partnership portrays trust and cooperation to further create a thriving and enabling environment for effectively implementation.
“Oro province is the first to pilot this project on sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management in PNG,’’ Ase said.
Chief Economist to the US Embassy in Port Moresby, Geoffrey Grimes, stressed that it is not about global powers and Americans coming here to control and tell you what to do.
“But it’s through these joint ventures that we start understanding each other and the efforts that we put together to accomplish our vision.”
United States Forest Service In-country Coordinator, Biatus Bito acknowledged the Oro Governor Garry Juffa for the continuous support and negotiations with US Forest Service International Program Manager, Jim Barber to forge this partnership.
Managalas project is looking forward to work with its partners to achieve the desired goals and objectives of the agreement.
