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The purpose of this paper is to stimulate a discussion on the issue of protected areas in Papua New Guinea and the development of a strategy to develop a National Protected Area System (NPAS). The need for a comprehensive protected area system is clear from a simple consideration of PNG's domestic and international obligations to protect biodiversity for future generations, in particular the 4th Goal and Directive Principle of the Constitution. The question is not whether PNG should have an NPAS but how we should deliver it so it contributes to poverty reduction and environment protection, whilst protecting the rights of landowners who are interested in their customary land becoming part of the protected area system. The paper provides an overview of the current statue of the protected area system, discusses in critical terms the current approaches to protected area priority setting, selection, establishment and management and lays the groundwork for the development of a National Policy on Protected Areas. The paper does not pretend to have all the answers or to have considered all the issues but has been developed to stimulate discussion and to provide the opportunity for key stakeholders to provide their views as an input to the development of the Government's Policy.