The Role of Landowners in Papua New Guinea's Natural Resource Development

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2023, №5(61), 197-205

 
Annotation: The article analyzes the role of Papua New Guinea landowners in the distribution of profits from mining on the ancestral lands of clans (communities), their interaction with business in the implementation of major resource extraction projects, and provides an overview of the mineral resources sector of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Mining continues to drive the economic development of Papua New Guinea to this day. Large-scale extraction of natural resources in the country began after the country gained independence from Australia in 1975. The country with a population of about 10 million people, of whom about 87% live in rural areas, has largely preserved centuries-old traditions, as well as the right to land handed down to them by their ancestors. At the present stage, landowners and local communities are directly involved in the development of the country’s rich subsoil, having a certain share in resource projects, with the support of the government of Papua New Guinea, which is taking measures to legislate the rights of landowners to participate in resource extraction projects.

Keywords: Papua New Guinea, mining, PNG communities, Panguna mine, landowners, Bougainville, oil and gas production, gold mining company, mining industry