Pictures from left to right
- Saraha children holding Nautilus information brochures during a community consultation in New Ireland
- Dr Sam Smith giving a presentation during a community consultation session in Kono New Ireland
- Community consultation at Dyaul Island, New Ireland
- Community consultation meeting Watom Island, East New Britain
Introduction
An interesting aspect of the Solwara 1 Project, and something that sets it apart from traditional mining projects in PNG, is that there are no directly affected communities or landowners. The initial investigation into the characterization of the social environment, done in consultation with the Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of Mines and Mineral Resources Authority, revealed that no customary land ownership exists at any of the proposed project locations (i.e., at (a) the Solwara 1 deposit which is located at a depth of approximately 1,600 m and 30 km offshore and under PNG law is therefore owned by the State of PNG and (b) the Port of Rabaul, which occupies alienated land and is a pre-existing industrial facility).
Still, it is very important that communities within PNG are informed about the project and Nautilus has ensured the views of the communities near Solwara 1 are heard. With no landowners or communities living in the vicinity of the proposed mine site, how do we decide who to engage with? Our approach has been to involve the national and appropriate provincial governments every step of the way. With the proposed production site located in New Ireland Province and with the proposal to use the Port of Rabaul in East New Britain Province, our community engagement efforts have been largely focused in these areas.
Community Awareness - Updates
- November 2008: EIS Public Hearings (Port Moresby, Kavieng, Rabaul)
- February 2009: New Ireland Province (Villages visited: Messi, Saraha, Kono, Eratubu, Namatanai)
- March 2009: East New Britain Province (Towns visited: Rabaul Kokopo, Kerevat)
- May 2009: New Ireland Province (Villages visited: Dyaul Island, Konos)
- July 2009: East New Britain Province (Reimber/Livuan, Balla, Raluana)
- July and August 2009: New Ireland Province (Kono & Kontu villages - attended shark calling festival)
- August 2009: East New Britain Province (Watom Island & Duke of York Island, Vulapalandi)
- September 2009: New Ireland Province (Panaras, Tembin, Parakais)
- October 2009: New Ireland Province (Namatanai)
- November 2009 : East New Britain Province (Vuvu, Kokopo), New Ireland Province (Palabong)
- May 2010: New Ireland Province (Kavieng, Namatanai)
- August 2010 : East New Britain Province (Kokopo, Gazelle, Rabaul)
- July/August 2010: New Ireland Province (Kontu village)
- September 2010: New Ireland Province (Kavieng, Konos, Kopkop, Mongop)
Where Have We Engaged So Far?
During the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS, which includes social impacts), we visited a number of villages and towns within PNG to ensure the views and concerns of the local communities were heard. It is worth noting these locations were determined in consultation with national and provincial governments within PNG.
Our commitment to communities does not end with the completion of the EIS or granting of the Environmental Permit. Additional community consultations have taken place since the EIS was submitted on 29 September 2008. The locations of these are shown in the map, to the right. Representatives from the national and provincial governments accompanied us during these community awareness campaigns.
To date, we have reached directly over 5,000 people (and still counting).
Even though the final Environmental Permit for the development of the Solwara 1 Project was granted by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in December 09, we plan to continue with our community awareness campaigns in New Ireland and East New Britain Province. |
(click to enlarge) |
Goals of Consultation
Some of the key goals of the Project’s public consultation to date are:
- Ensuring that stakeholders, relevant government departments, and communities adjacent to Solwara 1 are properly informed about the Project;
- Having a structure to allow all stakeholders to provide input to the environmental assessment process;
- Ensuring consideration is given to the valid concerns and interests of stakeholders;
- Incorporating concerns into mitigation plans as practicable; and
- Ensuring that the applicable regulatory requirements related to public consultation and disclosure are met.
Consultation Methods
In consultation with the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Minerals Resource Authority in PNG, we have developed a number of tools to help distribute project information to the appropriate communities
Brochures in English and Tok Pisin |
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Information Brochure (English)
(click to download) |
Information Brochure (Tok Pisin)
(click to download) |
Environmental Information Brochure (English)
(click to download) |
Posters in English and Tok Pisin
(poster library - click to download - 33MB)
Oral Presentations
In English - (click to view)
In Tok Pisin - (click to view)
Consultation Outcomes
Nautilus respects local traditions and customs and it takes the views of the community very seriously. For example, we know that impacting coral reefs and fish would be unacceptable (it is for us too) and so we put a lot of effort into designing a mining system that does not impact surface waters. In fact, the impact at the surface is limited to the presence of a vessel and some barges. Vessels are not new to the area – there are plenty of cargo ships navigating through this region (the Port of Rabaul is the 4th largest port in PNG) and large cruise ships such as the Queen Mary II also visit the region on a regular basis. While meeting with the communities, we make note of the questions that get asked and any concerns raised. If we cannot answer the questions there and then, we make sure we have a response for next time.
Q&A
There are some common questions that get asked by the community and we have shared these here:
Sample Questions |
Example Responses |
| Will the project impact tuna? |
The proposed mine site is located 1600 m below the surface of the sea. To picture how deep that is, imagine the height of around 1000 people standing on each other’s shoulders. Tuna live much shallower than this, at around 400 m water depth and above – they will not be impacted by the mining activities. To make sure tuna are safe we have spent a lot of time and effort to ensure the water where the tuna live is not impacted – also no chemicals will be discharged in the mining process. Click here for more information.
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| Will the project impact shark calling (a tradition in New Ireland Province)? |
We understand how important shark calling is to the people of New Ireland and we are confident that the project activities will not impact shark calling. Solwara 1 is located 30 km from shore and 1600 m below the surface of the sea, which is well away from coral reefs, fish and reef sharks. The effects of the project at the surface involve only the presence of a surface ship and barges. As you know, cargo ships and other boats already sail on the Bismarck Sea. So if these ships do not impact shark calling, neither should the presence of the ship we are proposing to use for mining. Click here for more information.
Note: we use a map to show the location of Solwara 1 relative to the village we are visiting at the time.
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| How will the project benefit the people of PNG? |
Discussions and decisions around the distribution of benefits (royalties, taxes, etc.) will come later, during the Development Forum, which occurs as part of the Mining Lease Approval process
The potential this project has for PNG excites us – it opens up a new resource at a time when most mines in PNG are reaching the end of their life, it will involve skills and technology transfers, it offers clean mining with low disturbance, there is little (if any) disruption of land holders, and there is increased worker safety because all operations are carried out remotely (no one will work at the “mine face”).
Click here for more information.
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| Why come to Papua New Guinea first? |
Papua New Guinea is fortunate to enjoy one of the better geological settings in the world for the formation of seafloor massive sulphides. Extensive work has been completed to date and with minimal potential impacts to reefs, fish and landholders. This is an opportunity for PNG.
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| Solwara 1 is in New Ireland Province. Why isn’t a port facility being built in New Ireland? (i.e. why is the one in Rabaul being used?) |
There are a number of reasons why Nautilus is proposing to use the Port of Rabaul, which is already the 4th largest port in PNG. We did assess around 30 sites as possible port facility locations. We did not find a suitable location in New Ireland. It is difficult to find a harbour that is deep enough to accommodate our ships and a site that is protected from the prevailing weather conditions. We could make a harbour deeper, but in each case this would have involved digging up coral reef. We are very proud of our efforts to ensure we do not impact reefs or fish and we would hate to destroy a pristine site when a pre-existing facility exists nearby.
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Ongoing Goals
Some of the key ongoing goals of the project’s continuing community consultation are:
- Ensuring that stakeholders, relevant government departments and communities are properly informed of the project Having a structure to allow all stakeholders to provide input
Ensuring consideration is given to all input provided
- Incorporating concerns into mitigation plans as practicable
- Ensuring that the applicable regulatory requirements related to public consultation and disclosure are met and where possible exceeded.
Photos: Nautilus Minerals Inc.
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