National Sustainable Land Use Policy for Papua New Guinea.

National Sustainable Land Use Policy is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The overall goal of this policy is to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of lands and their resources and the environment for the collective benefit of all Papua New Guineans as well as their replenishment for the benefit of future generations. To this end, this policy lays down strategies, activities and appropriate institutional and procedural mechanisms to monitor and manage land use conversions thus implementing Government policies on sustainable development.
Land use planning will be improved for agricultural production by determining the most efficient and equitable manner of utilization and management of land resources to enable adequate and accessible space for sustainable food production, forestry and mineral extraction. To this end, appropriate land will be identified to increase the level of production and productivity in agriculture, forestry, mining industry and tourism sectors with the aim of addressing existing supply gaps and meeting increasing consumption demands. In addition to increased production goals, water security will be promoted through focused irrigation programs, research and development, and the development of water database. Measures will be taken to maintain soil quality for increased quality and quantity of crop production. The capacities of local farmers will be built in innovative crop farming, such as agro-forestry, drought resilient crops and new crops and use of better agricultural techniques to maintain soil fertility. Agricultural extension services will be expanded in rural areas. The cooperation with landowners will be strengthened to encourage continuation of traditional sense of environment stewardship whilst pursuing sustainable economic and social development through sufficient and adequate food production. Data management systems will be developed to enable access to realistic data or information. Existing agricultural lands will be identified and their productivity and production levels will be assessed. Potential agricultural expansion areas and marginal lands will be identified with due consideration for competing land uses and protecting these from conversion.
Climate change adaptation and mitigation will be integrated into all land planning systems at national, provincial and local levels. Preventive measures will be taken against the loss of food gardens due to extensive flooding combined with extended periods of drought. The impacts of climate change will be mitigated through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of renewable energy, air quality and pollution, land contamination, aquifer protection and noise pollution. Capacity building, training and awareness at local, national and provincial levels will be conducted to raise the knowledge and skills of how to adapt and mitigate climate changes issues. Disaster risk management and reduction will be strengthened through maintenance and improvement of early warning systems, public awareness-raising, and improved data management.
Waste management will be strengthened in the mining sector to prevent river and sea pollution from waste dumping of mining sediments and tailings as well as loss of fish stock, loss of land and food and water poisoning etc. resulting from disposal of toxic and excessive waste. Moreover, national physical planning will take into consideration the identification and protection of river basins, catchment areas, aquifers from reckless development, habitations, and use of land. Water conservation will be improved through harvesting and conservation of rainwater and sustainable use of water catchment. The cases of waterborne diseases will be reduced through improvement in both water supply and sanitation systems.
Forest management and conservation will be strengthened. Reforestation and afforestation of cleared areas and grassland will be encouraged by planting different local tree species of cultural and economic values. The legal framework will be strengthened to ensure sustainable forest management. Better management and development of fisheries will be ensured in Papua New Guinea. More awareness-raising activities will be carried out on fisheries due to its importance to sustain people living in the rural areas. More land will be made available for aquaculture to increase participation of the entire community in inland fisheries activities.
Rural development will be encouraged to discourage migration from urban areas. Poverty will be reduced by promoting equal access to employment opportunities. More rural health facilities will be built to meet the needs of the rural population. Rural areas will be protected from the impacts of developments on landscape quality, wildlife species and biodiversity. Environmental protection will be strengthened and integrated into land use planning systems. The rehabilitation, conservation and management of sensitive or critical ecosystems will be ensured to preserve their integrity, to allow degraded resources to regenerate and to protect human population from environmental hazards.