LARGE-SCALE MINES and LOCAL-LEVEL POLITICS Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

LARGE-SCALE MINES and LOCAL-LEVEL POLITICS Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea LARGE-SCALE MINES AND LOCAL-LEVEL POLITICS Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea LARGE-SCALE MINES AND LOCAL-LEVEL POLITICS Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea EDITED BY COLIN FILER AND PIERRE-YVES LE MEUR ASIA-PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT MONOGRAPH 12 Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Large-scale mines and local-level politics : between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea / edited by Colin Filer, Pierre-Yves Le Meur. ISBN: 9781760461492 (paperback) 9781760461508 (ebook) Series: Asia-pacific environment monographs ; no.12. Subjects: Mines and mineral resources--New Caledonia. Mines and mineral resources--Papua New Guinea. Local government--New Caledonia. Local government--Papua New Guinea. Other Creators/Contributors: Filer, Colin, editor. Le Meur, Pierre-Yves, 1962- editor. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU Press. Cover photograph by John Burton: Peakame Taro airing a grievance at the Apalaka resettlement village, Porgera mine, 9 June 2006. This edition © 2017 ANU Press Contents Tables ............................................................... vii Figures ............................................................. ix Boxes ............................................................... xi Acknowledgments .................................................. xiii Contributors ......................................................... xv 1. Large-Scale Mines and Local-Level Politics ...................... 1 COLIN FILER AND PIERRE-YVES LE MEUR 2. From Anticipation to Practice: Social and Economic Management of a Nickel Plant’s Establishment in New Caledonia’s North Province ................................................ 61 JEAN-MICHEL SOURISSEAU, SONIA GROCHAIN AND DAVID POITHILY 3. Social and Environmental Transformations in the Neighbourhood of a Nickel Mining Project: A Case Study from Northern New Caledonia ................................................ 99 MATTHIAS KOWASCH 4. The Boakaine Mine in New Caledonia: A Local Development Issue? .......................................... 133 CHRISTINE DEMMER 5. Conflict and Agreement: The Politics of Nickel in Thio, New Caledonia ............................................... 157 PIERRE-YVES LE MEUR 6. Contesting the Goro Nickel Mining Project, New Caledonia: Indigenous Rights, Sustainable Development and the Land Issue ................................................... 183 CLAIRE LEVACHER 7. Dissecting Corporate Community Development in the Large-Scale Melanesian Mining Sector ........................ 207 GLENN BANKS, DORA KUIR-AYIUS, DAVID KOMBAKO AND BILL F. SAGIR 8. Negotiating Community Support for Closure or Continuation of the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea ..................... 229 COLIN FILER AND PHILLIPA JENKINS 9. Disconnected Development Worlds: Responsibility towards Local Communities in Papua New Guinea ...................... 261 JOHN BURTON AND JOYCE ONGUGLO 10. Gender Mainstreaming and Local Politics: Women, Women’s Associations and Mining in Lihir ............................... 291 SUSAN R. HEMER 11. Migrants, Labourers and Landowners at the Lihir Gold Mine, Papua New Guinea ........................................... 313 NICHOLAS A. BAINTON 12. Bougainville: Origins of the Conflict, and Debating the Future of Large-Scale Mining ........................................ 353 ANTHONY J. REGAN 13. Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea .............. 415 COLIN FILER AND PIERRE-YVES LE MEUR Tables Table 7.1 A typology of motivations for corporate community development activities ........................................ 217 Table 9.1 Disclosures in relation to mining on the lands of indigenous peoples by six mining companies undertaking sustainability reporting in PNG ............................................. 267 Table 9.2 Seven Global Reporting Initiative indicators of heightened importance to local communities and indigenous peoples, for the Lihir, Hidden Valley, Porgera and Ok Tedi mines, 2009–10 and 2013–14 ...................................... 272 Table 12.1 Distribution of Panguna cash revenues, 1972–89 ......... 358 Table 12.2 Numbers of blocks in the three main BCL leases .......... 360 vii Figures Figure 2.1 North Province, New Caledonia ........................... 63 Figure 2.2 The politics of the large-scale mining project cycle ......... 70 Figure 2.3 Employment offers and applications in North Province, 2000–10 ..................................................... 76 Figure 2.4 Net annual average of semi-annual business start-ups, 1995–2010 .................................................. 81 Figure 2.5 Popular participation in SAS Vavouto ...................... 88 Figure 2.6 Employment offers and applications in North Province, 2000–16 ..................................................... 90 Figure 2.7 Net annual average of semi-annual business start-ups, 1995–2016 .................................................. 91 Figure 3.1 The Koniambo project construction site, September 2012 ............................................. 100 Figure 3.2 Location of the studied Kanak villages in northern New Caledonia ............................................... 103 Figure 3.3 Environmental value model ............................... 104 Figure 3.4 First stone of the new cultural centre in Koné, 2008 ....... 109 Figure 3.5 Rental housing on customary land, Baco, 2011 ............ 110 Figure 3.6 Education level of the peoples in the four villages motivated to work in the Koniambo project ..................... 112 Figure 3.7 Subcontracting companies belonging to SAS Vavouto in August 2012 .............................................. 114 ix Large-Scale Mines and Local-Level Politics Figure 3.8 Number of enterprises per working area in Baco, August 2012 ................................................. 115 Figure 3.9 Size of customary lands of the villages of Netchaot, Baco, Oundjo and Gatope ..................................... 118 Figure 3.10 Difference in perceptions of the four neighbouring Kanak villages vis-à-vis the Koniambo project (per cent per village) ................................................... 121 Figure 6.1 The model for participation of the population of the Grand Sud in development of the mining project ................ 191 Figure 7.1 Mining and immanent development ....................... 209 Figure 7.2 Mining, immanent and intentional forms of development .... 211 Figure 7.3 Papua New Guinea mining operations .................... 213 Figure 8.1 CMCA trust regions in Western Province .................. 241 Figure 9.1 Three ‘development worlds’ .............................. 262 Figure 9.2 Sustainability reporting by 33 mining companies with PNG interests in 2013–14 ............................... 267 Figure 11.1 Villages and council wards on Aniolam Island ............ 320 Figure 11.2 Lihir population by ward group, 2002–13 ................ 324 Figure 11.3 Former plantation labourers from Sandaun Province ...... 326 Figure 11.4 Enumerated Lihirian and non-Lihirian population figures, and adjusted non-Lihirian population figures, December 2013. .328 Figure 11.5 Birthplace of enumerated resident non-Lihirians, December 2013. .329 Figure 11.6 Village development scheme house ..................... 334 Figure 11.7 Late Anna Ikuluom of Tinetalgo clan in lower Landolam, 2011 .............................................. 339 x Boxes Box 9.1 The ICMM sustainable development principles ............... 263 Box 9.2 Definition of Indigenous people by the UN Special Rapporteur José R. Martínez Cobo ............................. 269 xi Acknowledgments Initial drafts of most of the chapters in this book were first presented as papers at a conference on ‘Mining and Mining Policy in the Pacific: History, Challenges and Perspectives’, which was hosted by the Pacific Community and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) in Nouméa from 21 to 25 November 2011. Although this book is not to be read as the proceedings of that conference, since many other papers were presented, the editors would like to acknowledge the contributions made to its organisation and funding, without which this book would never have eventuated. Additional organisational support was provided by the University of New Caledonia (Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie), the New Caledonian Institute of Agronomy (Institut Agronomique Néo- Calédonien), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (Centre de Coopération Internationale pour la Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement), the National Centre for Technological Research on Nickel and Its Environment (CNRT Nickel) and CORAIL (Coordination pour l’Océanie des Recherches sur les Arts, les Idées et les Littératures). Additional financial support was provided by the Pacific Fund (Fonds Pacifique) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Congress of New Caledonia, the authorities of South Province and North Province, and the mining companies Société Le Nickel, Koniambo Nickel SAS and Vale SA. xiii Large-Scale Mines and Local-Level Politics The case studies presented in the chapters
Recommended publications
  • Mercury Concentration and Its Effect on the Aquatic Environment of the Lower Watut River
    38 Orathinkal, Tetang & Kilip, Mercury Concentration and its Effect on the Aquatic Environment of the Lower Watut River Mercury concentration and its effect on the aquatic environment of the Lower Watut River, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea Jose Orathinkal Abbeygail Tetang Joanne M. Kilip Abstract This explorative and analytical study investigated the level of mercury and its effects on the aquatic life in the Lower Watut River of the Huon Gulf District in Papua New Guinea. Samples of fish, water and sediments were collected from the Watut River that has access to three villages namely, Magaring, Kapungung and Chiatz. The samples were analysed at the National Analysis Laboratory, University of Technology. In addition, a total of 40 interviews were conducted among the alluvial miners in the Lower Watut River to explore possible effects of mercury use for gold extraction. The analysis of water has shown that the level of mercury concentration is high (0.001mg/L) when compared to Recommended Standards, such as the PNG Raw Water and Drinking Water Standards and the Australian Drinking Water Standards. The analysis of fish and sediment samples were compared with the American Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization Standards. The finding from interviews further confirmed the impact of mercury content in the water affecting the aquatic environment. From the interviews conducted, it was reported that there were many changes occurring in the river, such as sedimentation, flooding, dieback of vegetation, mercury found in sediments, fish dying and fish found with deformities. This study provides baseline information for more awareness into the toxicity of mercury and its effects on the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • What I Did and What I Saw
    NEW GUINEA WHAT I DID AND WHAT I SAW Barry Craig, 2018 [email protected] Photos copyright B. Craig unless otherwise attributed I guess I was destined to be a walker from an early age ̶ I may have got that from my father. Boot camp, c.1941 Martin Place, Sydney, c.1941 Because my father fought at Sattelberg in the hills west of Finschhafen in 1943, I became fascinated by New Guinea and read avidly. After studying anthropology at the University of Sydney I went to PNG as an Education Officer in 1962. I asked to be posted to Telefomin. Languages of Central New Guinea I lived at Telefomin 1962-65. In 1963-64, Bryan Cranstone, British Museum, was based at Tifalmin west of Telefomin to research and collect items of material culture. His method of documenting things that he collected drew my attention to the house boards and shields of the region. He became my mentor. I was fortunate to witness the last of the male initiation ceremonies – dakasalban candidates with sponsor at left, otban at right. In 1964, I collected about 320 items of material culture for the Australian Museum, supported with photographs, and began a survey of all house boards and shields in the wider region, extended in 1967. This resulted in a Masters Thesis in 1969 and a booklet in 1988. At Bolovip, the board photographed by Champion in 1926 (left) was still there in 1967 (top right) but had been discarded by 1981. Map of 1967 survey Interior photo showing shields, pig jawbones, a sacred feather-bag and ancestral skulls and long-bones.
    [Show full text]
  • PAPERS in NEW GUINEA LINGUISTICS No. 18
    PACIFIC LINGUISTICS S e.ft-<- e..6 A - No. 4 0 PAPERS IN NEW GUINEA LINGUISTICS No. 18 by R. Conrad and W. Dye N.P. Thomson L.P. Bruce, Jr. Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Conrad, R., Dye, W., Thomson, N. and Bruce Jr., L. editors. Papers in New Guinea Linguistics No. 18. A-40, iv + 106 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1975. DOI:10.15144/PL-A40.cover ©1975 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. PACIFIC LINGUISTICS is published by the Ling ui��ic Ci�cl e 06 Canbe��a and consists of four series: SERIES A - OCCAS IONAL PAPERS SERIES B - MONOGRAPHS SERIES C - BOOKS SERIES V - SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS . EDITOR: S.A. Wurm . ASSOCIATE EDITORS: D.C. Laycock , C.L. Voorhoeve . ALL CORRESPONDENCE concerning PACIFIC LINGUISTICS, including orders and subscriptions, should be addressed to: The Secretary, PACIFIC LINGUISTICS, Department of Linguistics, School of Pacific Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra , A.C.T. 2600. Australia . Copyright � The Authors. First published 1975 . The editors are indebted to the Australian National University for help in the production of this series. This publication was made possible by an initial grant from the Hunter Douglas Fund. National Library of Australia Card Number and ISBN 0 85883 118 X TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SOME LANGUAGE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE UPPER SEPIK REGION OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, by Robert Conrad and Wayne Dye 1 O. INTRODUCTION 1 1 .
    [Show full text]
  • Submission No. 7 (Pacific Health) If
    Submission No. 7 (Pacific Health) if Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing on Western Province Torres Strait: Cross Border Health Issues PURPOSE To propose a long term systemic approach to addressing health issues in Western province to reduce risks and impacts of cross border health issues on the health and well-being of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people of the Torres Strait region. KEY POINTS The major health risks in the border area include: » Tuberculosis, including multi-drug resistant TB; • Sexually transmitted infections and HIV and AIDS; « Vector borne disease including malaria, Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue; • Immunisable diseases; and, • Avian Influenza. There is no short term "quick fix" for the health services in Western Province. A long term perspective must be taken. The level of resources to control the health issues of concern cannot be underestimated and will require a "whole of system" approach. Specifically the major challenges are: • There is no stable well functioning health centre in the Treaty Area and difficulties remain in retaining health staff in these areas; • TB is a growing problem and no major program of activity is schedule till 2010. Multi-drug resistant TB is an emerging problem in this area; « Malaria Bed Net Distribution Programs have stalled; • There are high reported rates of STIs and HIV and limited control programs; • The PNG government drugs and supply program does not ensure deliveries of essential drugs to the province; • There is no
    [Show full text]
  • Agreement Concerning Certain Boundaries Between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (With Chart)
    page 1| Delimitation Treaties Infobase | accessed on 03/04/2003 Agreement concerning certain boundaries between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (with chart). Signed at Jakarta 12 February 1973(1) Australia and Indonesia, Recognizing the desirability of having boundaries of political and physical permanence between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, Considering the desirability of demarcating more precisely in certain respects the land boundaries on the island of New Guinea (Irian) as described in Articles I, II, III and IV of the Convention between Great Britain and the Netherlands dated the sixteenth day of May One thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, Noting the steps taken since then in relation to the demarcation of the land boundaries on the island of New Guinea (Irian), Noting in particular, with appreciation, the work of the Joint Survey by the Australian and Indonesian Survey Authorities (in this Agreement called "the Joint Survey") in surveying boundaries on the island of New Guinea (Irian) as described in their final report dated the twelfth day of February One thousand nine hundred and seventy, Recalling that in the Agreement between the Australian and Indonesian Governments dated the eighteenth day of May One thousand nine hundred and seventy-one (in this Agreement called "the 1971 Seabed Agreement") the two Governments left for further discussion the question of the seabed boundary line between the point of Latitude 9° 24' 30" South, Longitude 140° 49' 30" East (Point Bl shown on the chart annexed to this Agreement and on chart "A" annexed to the 1971 Seabed Agreement) and the point at which the land boundary between the Territory of Papua and West Irian meets the southern coast of the island of New Guinea (Irian),(2) As good neighbours and in a spirit of friendship and co-operation, Have agreed as follows: Article 1.
    [Show full text]
  • (YONGOM, YONGGOM) ... 2000 in Irian Jaya
    YONGKOM YONGKOM (YONGOM, YONGGOM) ... 2,000 in Irian Jaya (1987 SIL). South coast border area just north of where Fly River forms border between Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea. Linguistic affiliation: Trans-New Guinea, Main Section, Central and Western, Central and South New Guinea-Kutubuan, Central and South New Guinea, Ok, Lowland. Dialects: NORTHERN MUYU (NORTH KATI, NORTH MOEJOE, NIINATI, NINATIE, KATI-NINANTI, KATAUT), SOUTHERN MUYU (SOUTH KATI, SOUTH MOEJOE, DIGOEL, DIGUL, METOMKA, KATI METOMKA, OK BARI). 80% lexical similarity with Northern Muyu, 70% with Southern Muyu, 30% with Ninggerum. ... YONGKOM (YONGOM, YONGGOM) ... 4,000 in Papua New Guinea (1997 SIL). Population total both countries 6,000. Western Province along the Fly and Tedi (Alice) rivers and towards Lake Murray, across the border into Irian Jaya, on both sides of the Muyu River up to the Kawo (Kao) River. Also spoken in Indonesia (Irian Jaya). Linguistic affiliation: Trans-New Guinea, Main Section, Central and Western, Central and South New Guinea- Kutubuan, Central and South New Guinea, Ok, Lowland. ... - Grimes 2000. [YONGGOM] [map] (cf W&H) Dimin Dimino Ibim Kappa Marapka Miripki Murugan Ogan Onbiran Urum Kappa Wambiran Yep Kappa Yimbaran Yogi Yum Kappa - Austen 1923:Map. The people of the eastern side of the Tedi are the Awinkaruk (not Awikaruk); on the western side as far north as Birimkapa, are the Iongomkaruk. The tribe around the Birim river, but north of the junction, call themselves Kaikaruk; while those along the Tedi and to the north of Birimkapa are Woröm. The Woröm seem to extend as far north as the lower spurs of the Star Mountains, ..
    [Show full text]
  • The Sukundimi Walks Before Me
    THE SUKUNDIMI WALKS BEFORE ME SIX REASONS WHY THE FRIEDA RIVER MINE MUST BE REJECTED About this report This is a publication of the Jubilee Australia Research Centre and Project Sepik Principal Author: Emily Mitchell Additional Material and Editing: Luke Fletcher, Emmanuel Peni and Duncan Gabi Published 14 March 2021 The information in this report may be printed or copied for non-commercial purposes with proper acknowledgement of Jubilee Australia and Project Sepik. Contact Luke Fletcher, Jubilee Australia Research Centre E: [email protected] W: www.jubileeaustralia.org Project Sepik Project Sepik is a not-for-profit organisation based in Papua New Guinea that has been working in the Sepik region since 2016. Project Sepik advocates for the vision of a local environment with a sustained balance of life via the promotion of environmentally sustainable practices and holding to account those that are exploiting the environment. Jubilee Australia Research Centre Jubilee Australia Research Centre engages in research and advocacy to promote economic justice for communities in the Asia-Pacific region and accountability for Australian corporations and government agencies operating there. Follow Jubilee Australia on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @JubileeAustralia Acknowledgments Thanks to our colleagues at CELCOR, especially Mr Peter Bosip and Evelyn Wohuinangu for their comments on drafts. Thank you to Rainforest Foundation Norway for generously supporting this project. Cover image: Local village people along the Sepik River THE SAVE THE SEPIK CAMPAIGN The Save the Sepik campaign is fighting to protect the Sepik River from the Frieda River Mine. It is a collaboration between Project Sepik and Jubilee Australia Research Centre.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategy Delivery Growth
    Rio Tinto 2009 Annual report Rio Tinto Financial calendar Strategy 2010 14 January Fourth quarter 2009 operations review 11 February Announcement of results for 2009 24 February Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited shares and Rio Tinto plc ADRs quoted “ex-dividend” for 2009 fi nal dividend Delivery 26 February Record date for 2009 fi nal dividend for Rio Tinto plc shares and ADRs 2 March Record date for 2009 fi nal dividend for Rio Tinto Limited shares 11 March Plan notice date for election under the dividend reinvestment plan for the 2009 fi nal dividend 1 April Payment date for 2009 fi nal dividend to holders of Ordinary shares and ADRs Growth 15 April Annual general meeting for Rio Tinto plc 15 April First quarter 2010 operations review 22 April Annual general meeting for Rio Tinto Limited A focused and 14 July Second quarter 2010 operations review 5 August Announcement of half year results for 2010 integrated strategy 11 August Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited shares and Rio Tinto plc ADRs quoted “ex-dividend” for 2010 interim dividend 13 August Record date for 2010 interim dividend for Rio Tinto plc shares and ADRs 17 August Record date for 2010 interim dividend for Rio Tinto Limited shares Excellence in 18 August Plan notice date for election under the dividend reinvestment plan for the 2010 interim dividend 9 September Payment date for 2010 interim dividend to holders of Ordinary shares and ADRs operational delivery 14 October Third quarter 2010 operations review 2011 Positioned for growth January Fourth quarter 2010 operations review February Announcement of results for 2010 Useful information and contacts Registered offi ces Investor Centre Rio Tinto Limited Rio Tinto plc To fi nd out more about Investor Centre, go to Computershare Investor Services Pty Limited 2 Eastbourne Terrace www.investorcentre.co.uk/riotinto GPO Box 2975 London Holders of Rio Tinto American Melbourne W2 6LG Depositary Receipts (ADRs) Victoria 3001 Registered in England No.
    [Show full text]
  • Primitive Art Bibliographies
    Primitive Art Bibliographies The Library The Museum of Primitive Art 15 West 54 Street New York 19, New York NO. IV 1965 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SEPIK DISTRICT ART ANNOTATED FOR ILLUSTRATIONS, PART 1 by DOUGLAS NEWTON BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SEPIK DISTRICT ART ANNOTATED FOR ILLUSTRATIONS, PART 1 by Douglas Newton The Museum of Primitive Art This is a working list of material on the visual arts in the Sepik District of New Guinea published up to 31 December 1964, its purpose being the provision of a guide to the very considerable amount of documentation already in print. It does not ad­ here strictly to the administrative boundaries of the District: some items on the coastal area to the east of the Ramu have been included, since these are obviously stylistically related to work from the District itself. The first part, printed here, is a listing of individual documents, each followed by notes on the illustra­ tions it includes. The second part, to appear in the near future, will be an index, by provenience and class of object, to these notes. The entries are of two main kinds. The first consists of books and articles, whether illustrated or not, specifically devoted to the area. Here I have gone beyond the limitations implied by "the arts", and have included some works primarily dealing with general ethnology. To some extent this is unavoidable, owing to the authors' methods of presenting their material; but I have added rather generously to this cate­ gory in the hope that some items may provide background, or side-lights, for the sub­ ject.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Negotiating Community Support for Closure Or Continuation of the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea COLIN FILER and PHILLIPA JENKINS
    8. Negotiating Community Support for Closure or Continuation of the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea COLIN FILER AND PHILLIPA JENKINS Introduction The Ok Tedi mine has some claim to be an extreme case of a large-scale mine whose closure is beset by politics. Ever since the mine began to operate in 1984, there has been ongoing political debate about whether its operations should continue and, if so, under what conditions. At several moments in its history—in 1985, 1989, 1996, 2001, 2006 and, most recently, 2013—the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government has been obliged to confront this question directly, and on each occasion it has come down in favour of continuation. Nevertheless, the mining company has already begun to scale down its operations in preparation for closure by 2025, if not before, because most of the ore contained in its original deposit of gold and copper has already been mined. The political significance of the choice between closure and continuation is primarily a function of the mine’s international reputation as an environmental disaster. The choice has therefore been represented as a ‘trade-off’ between environmental costs and economic benefits. In 2005, at the peak of its output, it was estimated that this one mine was responsible for 15 per cent of PNG’s gross domestic product, 229 Large-Scale Mines and Local-Level Politics 25 per cent of the country’s export revenues and roughly 20 per cent of the tax revenues raised by the PNG Government (Faulkner 2005). The environmental costs are almost impossible to calculate.
    [Show full text]
  • The Conservation Status of Niugini Black Bass: a World-Renowned Sport fish with an Uncertain Future M
    Fisheries Management and Ecology Fisheries Management and Ecology, 2016, 23, 243–252 The conservation status of Niugini black bass: a world-renowned sport fish with an uncertain future M. SHEAVES College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia R. BAKER College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia CSIRO Land and Water, Townsville, Qld, Australia I. McLEOD & K. ABRANTES College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia J. WANI Papua New Guinea, National Fisheries Authority, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea A. BARNETT College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia TropWATER (Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research), James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia Abstract The Niugini black bass, Lutjanus goldiei Bloch, is an estuarine and freshwater fish species endemic to New Guinea and the surrounding islands. It is the focus of a growing sport fishing industry that has the potential to provide long-standing benefits to local people. Plantation agriculture, mining and logging are expanding in many catchments where L. goldiei is found, creating the potential for these industries to impact on L. goldiei and the environments it relies on. Understanding of the current status of the species, including its biology, ecology and distribution, is essential for its sustainable management.
    [Show full text]
  • The Freshwater Ichthyofauna of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea!
    Pacific Science (1999), vol. 53, no. 4: 346-356 © 1999 by University of Hawai'i Press. All rights reserved The Freshwater Ichthyofauna of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea! J. H. POWELL AND R. E. POWELL2 ABSTRACT: Tailings disposal from the Bougainville Copper Limited open-cut porphyry copper mine on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea (1972-1989) impacted the ichthyofauna of the Jaba River, one of the largest rivers on the island. To assess the 'extent of this impact, comparative freshwater ichthyologi­ cal surveys were conducted in five rivers on the island during the period 1975­ 1988. Fifty-eight fish species were recorded, including one introduction, Oreo­ chromis mossambicus. The icthyofauna is dominated by euryhaline marine spe­ cies consistent with that of the Australian region, but more depauperate. There are more than 100 species present on mainland New Guinea that are absent from Bougainville streams. Oreochromis mossambicus was the most abundant species in the sampled streams, accounting for 45% of the catch. The most abundant native fishes were the mainly small Gobiidae and Eleotridae. There were few native fish of potential value as food and these were restricted to an eleotrid gudgeon (Ophieleotris aporos), tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides), eel (An­ guilla marmorata), and snappers (Lutjanus argentimaculatus and Lutjanus fus­ cescens). Fish production in the rivers is limited by the morphology of the streams and the depauperate ichthyofauna. Fish yield from the Jaba River in its premining state is estimated to have ranged from 7 to 12 t/yr. The popula­ tion living in the Jaba ,catchment in 1988 (approximately 4,600 persons) shared this resource, resulting in an extremely low per-capita fish consumption rate of less than 3 kg/yr.
    [Show full text]