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Across the Pacific, youth unemployment is regarded by governments, donors and citizens as one of the region's key concerns, not only because of its effect on economic advancement, but also because of a perceived association between joblessness and insecurity, including the prospect of youth-driven crime and violence.

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.

Papua New Guinea is a Member of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), and in order to support the marine biodiversity goals of the CTI Regional and National Plans of Action, one action they have prioritised, is the need to strengthen marine governance. As a result, technical assistance and support for the development of a national Marine Protected Area (MPA) policy has been offered to the Department of Environment and Conservation by the Australian Government as part of their CTI support activities. This includes training to guide the policy development process, identification and involvement of national marine environment specialists to provide advice and ongoing mentoring and support during the policy development process. This discussion paper contributes to this process by identifying key issues that will need to be addressed and resolved and highlights potential solutions for consideration by the policy development team.