Commemorating World Oceans Day on June 8, 2026, Oro Province Governor Gary Juffa issued a passionate call to protect Papua New Guinea's vast maritime territory, emphasizing that the health of the marine environment dictates the prosperity of the nation.
"For countless coastal and island communities, the sea is their garden, highway, marketplace, and source of sustenance," Juffa stated, noting that marine resources provide food security and cultural continuity for hundreds of thousands of Papua New Guineans.
However, he warned that these delicate ecosystems face severe threats from climate change, pollution, illegal fishing, and the dangerous pressures of commercial resource extraction.
Chief among these threats is the international push for deep-sea mining, driven by foreign entities the Governor described as "profit and greed merchants."
Reminding the nation of the Solwara One project, a costly failure that stripped PNG taxpayers of over K300 million, Juffa strongly cautioned against future seabed exploitation.
"Humanity's knowledge of deep ocean ecosystems remains extremely limited," Juffa warned, stressing that the consequences could result in irreversible habitat destruction and the extinction of undiscovered species.
He urged the government to strictly apply the precautionary principle, insisting that the burden of environmental proof must rest entirely on those pushing to exploit the ocean rather than those trying to protect it.
Compounding these environmental dangers is a severe lack of sovereign control over the country's waters, which has transformed the Pacific into a haven for transnational criminal syndicates engaged in trafficking and illegal fishing. Juffa expressed deep concern that foreign investors, whom he likened to "modern-day pirates", plunder hundreds of millions of dollars' worthof marine resources, while not a single operating fishing vessel is owned by a Papua New Guinean.
"Conservation without enforcement is merely an aspiration," Juffa declared, criticizing the nation's outdated surveillance technology for failing to track the "dark ships" that illegally raid PNG's tuna breeding grounds.
To reverse this trend, the Governor called for urgent investments in satellite tracking, modern patrol vessels, stronger legislation, and tougher maritime penalties.
Governor Juffa concluded his address by championing the traditional knowledge systems and customary marine stewardship that have successfully protected PNG's waters for generations.
He urged all elected leaders to fulfil their duty to safeguard coastal communities across regions like Milne Bay, Manus, New Ireland, East Sepik, Bougainville, and West New Britain.
"Future generations will not judge us by how many tons of minerals we extracted from the seabed," Juffa stated. "They will judge us by whether we protected the oceans that sustain life itself."
To secure a lasting legacy, he requested that all future conservation commitments be backed by strict national sovereignty, robust scientific integrity, and practical enforcement.
