WORLD HERITAGE TENTATIVE LISTED SITES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA REPORT ON A REVIEW OF THE SITES By Peter Hitchcock and Jennifer Gabriel January 2015 Photo Credit: Rodrick Vana, Oro Province REVIEW OF TENTATIVE WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA Principal Authors Peter Hitchcock AM OCConsulting (Environment and Heritage) Cairns, Queensland Australia Contacts: P.O. Box 1133 Smithfield (Cairns) 4878 Tel: +61 (0)7 40381118 Mob: 0419 795 841 Email:
[email protected] Jennifer Gabriel, B.Soc. Sc. (Hons. 1) PhD Scholar (Anthropology), Research Fellow - The Cairns Institute James Cook University Australia Assisted by Dr Matthew Leavesley FSA Adjunct Lecturer in Archaeology James Cook University Lecturer in Archaeology University of Papua New Guinea Dedication This report is dedicated to the memory of the late Mr. Vagi Renagi Genorupa, Manager, National World Heritage Secretariat, PNG Department of Environment and Conservation (d . 2nd December, 2014). 2 REVIEW OF TENTATIVE WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA Background The Government of Papua New Guinea advised its acceptance of the World Heritage Convention on Monday, July 28, 1997. In advising it’s acceptance of the Convention, the Government of PNG joined other signatories in committing to, amongst other things, as far as possible to: 1. “adopt a general policy that aims to give the cultural and natural heritage a function in the life of the community and to integrate the protection of that heritage into comprehensive planning programs’; 2. undertake 'appropriate legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of this heritage'; 3. refrain from 'any deliberate measures which might damage, directly or indirectly, the cultural and natural heritage' of other Parties to the Convention, and to help other Parties in the identification and protection of their properties.” UNESCO In accordance with Article 11 (1) of the Convention, in 2006 PNG formally nominated seven identified areas for Tentative Listing.