It takes long to start projects in PNG: Official

National

IT can take long for local communities in Papua New Guinea to allow development in their areas, says an official.
“To start conservation, you will have to assist the community with their needs which takes time,” said Warren Janox, from the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority.
Conservationists, developers, researchers, policymakers and protected area practitioners came together to discuss biodiversity conservation and development issues at the biodiversity and conservation seminar in Port Moresby.
Janox said it takes time to convince landowners and communities to allow conservation programmes in area. “Most conservation targets are achieved in five years but it takes longer in PNG,” he said.
Each speaker at the event have faced difficulties with the local communities in their development and conservation projects.
Jeffery Norro, from the Kainake Project in Bougainville, said that human resource is difficult to deal with because the community is always looking for something to gain which makes the exercise expensive.
Norro and his group worked on strengthening traditional governance to help drive community conservation.
He said the purpose of the Kainake Project was to translate government policies into implementable community actions that are relevant and meaningful.
The four-day event was expected to build partnership and network, strengthen relationships between government agencies and conservationists, development partners and not-for-profit organisations to address issues often dealt with in isolation.