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Papua New Guinea is the largest island nation in the Pacific and the richest, in flora and fauna, of all the nations of the Pacific Rim.
It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea plus the great islands of the Bismarck Archipelago and the northern-most Solomon group, as well as some 600 additional smaller islands.
PNG’s borders stretch from the Equator to 12 degrees south latitude and encompass about 463,000 square kilometers.
The nation supports a remarkable range of equatorial environments. From high alpine peaks that are periodically dusted with snow to pristine tracts of extensive lowland alluvial rain forest, down to coral reef systems; arguably diversity not found in many other places on earth.
The inland of both the mainland and the provincial islands is dissected and mountainous. There are also extensive areas of flat or gentle terrain, particularly along the coasts. The combination of topography, geology, climate and volcanic events has created a complex pattern of soils, some of which are highly productive. Large river systems rise in the mountain regions.
Economic Growth
Papua New Guinea is very rich biologically. More than 700 birds and 200 species of mammals occupy its varied environments. Many of these species are not found elsewhere in the world. They include some of the world’s largest- and smallest parrots, the largest pigeons, all of the world’s three species of cassowaries, more than two- thirds of all the world’s birds of paradise, all of the world’s tree kangaroos and the world’s largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra Birdwing. Added to this, the forest flora is seemingly one of the richest on earth with an estimated 9000 species of higher plants and as many as 1,500 species of forest trees.
The rich diversity of Papua New Guinea also extends to its people, who have strong cultural ties with the land and are highly dependent upon it for their way of life. Protection of the environment and conservation of its rich diversity of species is therefore necessary to protect the culture of the people. Successful land management in Papua New Guinea is impossible without an understanding of the needs of the people and their cooperation. The Government recognizes that economic growth will be essential if environmental well-being is to be guaranteed in the long term. The standard of living of the majority of the population is poor and people living at the margin have little choice but to capitalize on their local environmental endowments for survival. Such people have a time preference for current consumption from the environment rather than for future consumption.
Papua New Guinea has experienced increased environmental degradation to date. The Government is aware economic development, if improperly managed, will place further pressures on the country’s fragile and little understood, ecological base.
Papua New Guinea also faces other environmental problems. The vast majority of the population is dependent upon the renewable resource sector- agriculture, hunting, fisheries and forestry- for subsistence. Such resources are only conditionally renewable, subject to sound resource management and the use of appropriate harvesting practices.
There are signs in some areas of agricultural stress, soil erosion and losses in soil fertility. Watershed destabilization is a potential problem and fish yields may have declined in some areas because of water pollution or damage to coral reefs. The impact of climate change and rising sea levels on Papua New Guinea’s coastal population could also have a long- term impact on the environment.
The Government is committed to developing an environmentally sound framework for resource use to mitigate such problems. Papua New Guinea was a participant at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Brazil in June 1992. Following resolutions endorsed at the conference, work got underway to develop a National Action Plan for attaining sustainable development in Papua New Guinea.
The Government’s strategies for protecting the environment are managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
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