PNG land issues

Here in PNG, land rights issues are a bit different than they are in the U.S. If you have read my previous posts, you will notice that we ran into an access issue that threatened to shut down the expedition before it happened. Last night I got to sit down with the local man responsible for mediating and securing access for us. I learned a lot about how things work here and why there was an issue to begin with.

In PNG, there are multiple types of land: There are public lands (govt owned,) privately owned land and customary land. Structurally, it’s very similar to how things are set up in the States, but with one very major difference.

In the States, the westward explorers and the U.S. Govt. decided that it was totally in charge and that they had more right to customary land (land owned by the original inhabitants) than the locals did. So basically, the U.S. Govt., instead of respecting the fact that native people already lived on lands, they pushed through and just took it all. The customary land was taken by force by the U.S. Govt.

Things are different in PNG. There was an imperial presence here and as a result the govt does hold land. This happened on a much smaller scale here than in the U.S. though, so there are also huge tracts of land that is owned and controlled by the subsistence dwellers that have lived here since the beginning. Thus, when the govt wants to expand its holdings, whether it be for logging, mining or otherwise, it has to work it out with the customary owners. If they don’t want their land logged, it doesn’t get logged.

This applies to our expedition because the area we are exploring is on customary land. Lake Hargy and the Nakanai Mountains are rugged areas that have never been logged or farmed because the people, so far, haven’t wanted them to be. In many remote areas of PNG these practices seem very attractive because instead of simply living off of their land, they can make a living off of their land. The environmental consequences are often very serious though, and in many cases the locals are not aware of these consequences. They sign deals for Malaysian logging companies to come in and clear timber and, a year or so later, realize that a clearcut tract isn’t so sweet after all and maybe not worth the small amount of compensation they receive.

The man I sat down with last night explained to the local people that our team will provide very valuable services to them. The scientific side of the team is studying the amazing biodiversity of the area and the kayaking/film team is going to show the world what is here. Ideally, this will open doors for the Nakanai people to make money off their land without having irreversible damage. One proposal involves establishing a permanent research station and sustainable ecotourism destination. Whatever happens, I think the local people have come to understand that we’re here to educate ourselves and help them rather than take advantage of their customary land. So now, everyone’s happy!