Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands risk losing control of their natural resources to powerful foreign interests unless they overhaul laws that still reflect the colonial era, Oro Provincial Governor Gary Juffa says.
Across Melanesia, customary landowners can face complex legal systems that separate ownership of land from control of the resources beneath it.
Juffa says that gap can leave communities with limited power over decisions about mining, logging, and other resource projects on or around their land.
The issue is already being debated…
