Transcript
ROY TRIVEDY - This is a really important agreement. For the first time we are seeing two provinces collaborating on a conservation programme and with also support from the conservation authorities CEPA [Conservation Environment and Protection Authority] in Papua New Guinea as well as the United Nations Development Programme, but the most critical thing is we're seeing this as the start of lots of further collaboration, which may be possible between different provinces to start to conserve and protect areas of the country, areas which are really important for biodiversity as well as conservation, forestry and so on.
SELA JANE AHOLELEI - What areas in particular is this MoA focusing on?
RT - So this particular agreement covers three sets of areas. It covers the Baining Mountains. It covers the Whiteman Range as well as Torokina and as a result of this, what it will mean is the major part of this country is properly protected, communities are supported by provincial administrations as well as support from CEPA and the United Nations Development Programme, to actually conserve the area rather than using logging as the only way of making their livelihoods.
SJA - Will we see more employment opportunities for the people in those provinces?
RT - What this will do is enable communities, first of all, to have much greater choice about the types of livelihoods that can really support them, so we're thinking about not just forest produce and timber, but using a range of non-forest, non-timber forest produce to be able to start new businesses, to also look at ways of improving service delivery, which includes health, it includes education, improving those things for communities living in this quite large area of the country.
SJA - What else do you hope having this agreement will do for the provinces of East and West New Britain?
RT - One small thing is the fact that what this will do, having a provincial agreement will also then hopefully pave the way for having district and local level governments also supporting this work more strongly, perhaps in their development 5 year development plans.