Source: Post Courier

By KOLOPU WAIMA 

THE MANAGALAS people in the Afore district of Ijivitari electorate in Northern Province have donated their 360,000 hectares of land to the Government of Papua New Guinea to serve the people of the world as a conservation area for biodiversity.

They have already submitted their conservation application to the National Executive Council (NEC) through the Minister for Environment and Conservation, Mr John Pundari and Oro Governor Garry Juffa, on Thursday November 8, 2012 in Port Moresby. They are now waiting for a 90-day objection period to lapse before they declare the conservation area.

A five-day district-wide combined forum held in Tahama village (Zone 5) from November 13 to 16, 2012, revealed that the project to conserve the area was discussed by the people in the plateau for the last 28 years. The forum, attended by all its 11 zones in the plateau, further revealed that the actual feasibility study for the conservation was started in 2003, and took nine years to successfully submit their Conservation Application to the NEC.

Forum facilitator Mr Brian Tasira said in the forum that the people of Managlas have agreed to conserve the land for the future of their children. He said that it was not a one-man decision to conserve the land, but all the people in the plateau took 28 years to educated themselves before they decided to opt for conservation.

“You see now in the forum that the people have spent the last 28 years to educate themselves through conservation awareness and they are now fully aware of how to conserve the land and to live a better life. They say no to mining and logging to take place in their untouched, virgin environment because what they have learnt from such activities is that they bring negative impacts to the local communities and the future of their children,” he said.

The valley known as the Managlas plateau, was decided by the people of Managlas in 2001 to be a conservation area before the actual awareness and study started in 2003. 
The people hoped to strenghten the protection of the unique biodiversity of the valley through an official referendum in a National Gazette through the Conservation Act of 1978.

All representatives from the 11 zones who attended the forum agreed that the government must look seriously at the wellbeing of the community and should thank the people of Managalas for making the right decision to say no to fast money and fast development.