By Lester Seri - Collingwood Bay landowner and Environment Advocate

Our Minister for Mining has made known his support for experimental seabed mining, but he has not given any rational justification for his endorsement of Nautilus Minerals and Solwara 1, especially when there is so much uncertainty and questions being asked about Papua New Guinea being used as a guinea pig. 

A PNG potato farmer. Source: EMTEK Multi-Media

Source: Sarah Byrne, Business Advantage PNG

With the focus on major resources projects, Papua New Guinea is missing the opportunity to develop a thriving agri-tourism sector, Papua New Guinea Women in Agricultural Development Foundation (PNGWiADF) President, Maria Linibi tells Business Advantage PNG.

Rainforest for palm oil land clearance ... new PNG land plan "a licence for banks and others to progressively expropriate traditional lands in the name of "development"

OPINION: By Chris Overland* 

Image: Alliance of Solwara Warriors

Source: Caritas Papua New Guinea

Deep sea bed mining is the extraction of metals such as iron, manganese, copper, zinc, lead nickel, cadmium, silver, platinum gold and rare earths from the sea floor.

The government has yet to cancel all the illegal SABL leases, used to defraud communities of more than 5 million hectares of land but they are already pressing ahead with plans for another land grab; this time with the commercial banks as the beneficiaries.

Source: Joanita Nonwo, EMTV

The interests in mining the deep seas for its riches date as far as the 1960’s with research vessels discovering hydrothermal vents that spew out rich minerals from the earth’s crust. These vents are very rare, being found only where there are active volcanic and tectonic movements under the sea. 

“That is where life began, and that we should be destroying these things [hydrothermal vents] is so deeply tragic” Sir David Attenborough

Source: David Shukman, BBC News

A bulldozer flattens the earth after forests have been cleared in West Pomio. Local landowners are protesting against the biggest land grab in PNG history. Under a lease system called SABLs (special agricultural and business leases) forests are being destroyed and customary land is being stolen. Credit: Paul Hilton/Greenpeace.

The Silverbacks rugby sevens team has been presented with training tops and t-shirts bearing the ACT NOW! name and logo in recognition of their successful run through several Port Moresby tournaments.

The team will be wearing the tops at training and in their pre-game warm ups to promote ACT NOW! and it campaigns to the rugby crazy community in the Nation’s capital.

By Eddie Tanago

Papua New Guinea’s population is growing at an explosive rate, which makes retaining control of customary land vitally important. Customary land is very valuable. It sustains a huge economy and provides employment for 3 million local farmers. Customary land is also vital for food security and it makes people strong and self-reliant.