Business expansion

UNREGULATED business expansion along the Koukou Road in Motukea, including at the Sun Engineering facility, is cutting off natural waterways.
These kill the mangroves that people, animals and our economy depend on.
Dead stumps stand where there were once flourishing trees.
New and wider roads have appeared overnight.
This kills our fish breeding grounds, makes us more vulnerable to storms and sea level rise, and kills off our coral reefs with sediments washing off the coasts instead of being captured in the mangrove roots.
Proper industry practice is not being applied.
There is little regard for environmental damage caused by covertly pushing dirt off roadsides into sensitive areas, and choking plants with dust from heavy vehicle movement.
Businesses and warehouses in that area need to be located inland.
They must be restricted from building on top of the coast.
Multiple-use jetties need to be constructed to minimise disruption to water flows but still allow access to port facilities for port users.
Reclaiming of area forested with mangroves must be limited to where there is no other alternative, not at the whim of someone who rents an excavator.
Fines should be laid on illegal developers who infill or clear the mangroves.
Our environmental agency CEPA needs to take a stand.
Mangroves grow so slowly and people need to understand limitations on taking mangrove for firewood.
The Government says they are concerned about climate change.
One of the easiest things to do is to ensure business and housing are not taking place over the top of important mangrove ecosystems.

Belhat
Port Moresby