The Governor of Papua New Guinea's National Capital District has added his voice to those opposed to mining in the area of the Kokoda Track.
Powes Parkop describes the Kokoda Track, where Australian troops repelled advancing Japanese soldiers in the Second World War, as priceless and worth more than a gold mine.
The newspaper, The National, reports that Governor Parkop has called for the Kokoda Track area to be placed on the World Heritage List.
Local landowners are pushing the government to renew the licence for Australian mining company Frontier Resources to explore the Kokoda area for copper and gold.
Mr Parkop says he directly opposed the proposed mining activities at Kodu Hill and Mount Bini in the Koiari area of Central province, claiming it would affect the Kokoda Track.
However, Frontier Resources says the mining would probably only affect a small portion of the track which could be re-routed to secondary trails in the affected area.
