THE two villages in the Kokoda Local Level Government achieved a historic milestone when clan leaders signed their consent to protect their lands as a formal protected area.
The consent came after 15 years of sustained effort, following the 2008 National Executive Council decision to protect the Brown River Catchment and Kokoda Track Region in the Owen Stanley Ranges.
Protected areas in PNG are owned by customary landowners and the Felai and Kaele villages in Ward 8 urged officers from the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) to help protect their lands into the future from unsustainable development, and to assist with conservation livelihood and land use planning activities.
CEPA received an overwhelmingly positive reception from the villages when CEPA officers came to Kanandara and walked to Felai and Kaele in early October 2023.
Members of the community engaged in discussion and preliminary land use planning activities, and advised CEPA of the special values, plants and animals that they would like to protect.
The consent is a positive outcome of the community consultations that have been ongoing in the region since 2018 and the Popondetta community leaders meeting in July 2023.
There is now an atmosphere of trust and cooperation as people have recognised that they can take control of their future through conservation, and this interest and support is spreading to other villages in Ward 8.
CEPA advised communities that on-ground conservation activities will begin in the villages in early 2024.
This work will help identify conservation and livelihoods development opportunities and empower community leaders to plan for sustainable development.
Additionally, Kanandara village in Ward 7 requested that their customary lands also be protected.
The village approached CEPA of its own initiative, whilst CEPA was passing through the village on its way to Ward 8.
Dr Mat Wolnicki from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water joined CEPA during the trip to Ward 8.
“It is amazing to see people interested and supportive of conservation.
“The people in Kanandara, Felai and Kaele are taking their future into their own hands, and it is such an honor and privilege to be part of their journey,” Dr. Wolnicki said.
The establishment of community owned conservation areas has been a long-term goal of the Kokoda Initiative, a partnership between the Governments of PNG and Australia.
The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has been working closely with CEPA for the last 15 years and is thrilled to be part of this historic occasion.
CEPA’s Sustainable Environment Programs Wing Director, Ms Kay Kumaras Kalim told the rest of the communities in the Brown River Catchment and Kokoda Track region that CEPA team were here as friends and want to help support their initiatives through the protection of customary lands.
“There are always green developments for such large landscapes as this, and protection is one means of reaching out to investors to work with us.”
Ms Kalim said the Kokoda Initiative is an enduring partnership between PNG and Australia to protect and preserve the region’s natural, cultural, and historic values, and improve outcomes for its communities.
