The Australian and PNG governments created the Interim Protection Zone (IPZ) to maintain the sustainable development of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River Catchment and Kokoda Track Region to protect their special natural, cultural and historic values. This IPZ is the mechanism for protecting the areas of significance in these regions and covers a large area of nearly 3,000 square kilometres.
The goals for the IPZ include
a safe and well-managed Kokoda Track
enhanced quality of life for landowners and communities through improved delivery of basic services, income generation and community development activities
the wise use and conservation of the catchment protection area, including the Kokoda Track, and its natural and cultural resources and values
building national and international tourism potential of the Owen Stanley Ranges and Kokoda Track Region
Our development site is well outside the IPZ. Our proposed mining lease is not near the Kokoda Track - in fact it is more than twenty kilometres north of the Isurava Memorial which is the main site used for remembrance services on the Kokoda Track. The streams and rivers in our area of PNG, including the Mambare River, do not flow into the Brown River catchment area but empty into the Solomon Sea on the western coast.
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