Marine life lacks protection

By DALE LUMA
RESOURCE companies are not held accountable for damage caused to the ocean because there is no such policy available, Department of Justice and Attorney-General secretary Dr Eric Kwa says.
Kwa said this during the opening of the second National Oceans Forum yesterday in Port Moresby.
He said complaints such as damage from mine slurry spills and logging wastes that affected marine life could not be properly actioned because there was no specific policy response for the government to use against companies.
“We don’t have the policy in place so we cannot blame a company operating within a legal framework that has been given permission within the regulatory framework,” he said.
“If there is a discharge from a mining company into the sea, we do not have the response for the government to come in and say you cannot do this and that.
“We also do not have the policy to respond to damage caused to the reefs and swamps due to transportation of logs to the coast to log ponds from large scale logging operations.”
Kwa said in order for proper actions to be taken by the government to properly come up against companies, there should be a proper guiding framework put in place.
He said PNG was surrounded by ocean and impacts of what happened on land would eventually end up in the ocean so a policy was needed to protect the ocean.
“Hopefully this issues are solved with the implementation of the new National Oceans Policy that will be implemented next year,” he said.