Abel: Kokoda Track must be preserved

MINISTER for Culture and Tourism Charles Abel has expressed concern over potential damage to the historical Kokoda Track if mining activities by Frontier Resources Ltd proceeds.
He said Government departments such as Mining, Forestry, Inter Government Relations, Environment and Conservation and others need to join Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) in a holistic approach towards developing the 96km track, which is fast becoming a tourism icon for PNG.
“As minister responsible for culture and tourism, I cannot stress enough the significance of the Kokoda Track in terms of the historical ties between our country and Australia and its long term economic values as a world class track. It must be preserved for future generations,” Mr Abel said.
He said TPA had already completed a study of the track, clearly identifying what needed to be done in order to protect and promote it.
He said the two main areas highlighted in the study included the need to promote the track as a world heritage site, and secondly as a world class sustainable tourism product.
Mr Abel has met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Lands and Mining Dr Puka Temu and officials from the Australian High Commission expressing his concern over the track.
According to a statement last Friday, the Australian government has offered to inject A$15 million (K37 million) to support initiatives to protect the track and improve its management for the sake of the stakeholders, especially the landowners.
Mr Abel said the Government had allocated K400,000 in the 2008 budget for the development of the Kokoda Track as a tourism icon for PNG.