KOKODA INITIATIVE:

Social Mapping in Mountain Koiari

27th March 2012

Department of Environment and Conservation Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

A joint PNG-Australian government initiative for the sustainable development of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River catchment and Kokoda Track region.

SM program

Department of Environment and Conservation Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

• Proposed in 2008 by DEC and DEWHA now DSEWPaC.

• 2008 A scoping studying was done by the Australian

National University.

• May 2009, preliminary study was carried out. Report was

submitted.

• September then November of 2010, two field trips-

Mountain Koiari LLG as the study area.

• April 2011-Ward 19-Edevu

• To date-data processing

Department of Environment and Conservation Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

Social Mapping?

a] The systematic collection of information on

customary social groups and the tracts of land

which they are associated with

b] How diff. people connect to the places and

spaces they occupy

c] Looks at the social landscape but may involve

the cadastral landscape as well BUT should

not confer any legal implications

d] Synonymous in the extractive industry in PNG

Joint Understanding II

Goals

Organized into groups:

(kinship, wards, religion,

occupation, age, gender,

etc.)

Interact: relate to each

other on daily basis

Persist: continuity across

generations

Change: change through

internal & external force

(JU Goals & KI activities)

Study of Human

Societies

1.Safe/well managed track

2. Enhance quality of life

for locals

3. Wise use & conservation

4. Building national/

international tourism

potential

5. Working with

communities

KI and Social mapping

Department of Environment and Conservation

Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

Social Mapping Program Objectives

Obtain information on;

• Identity of Landowners

• Land tenure (systems)

• Customary and political organization

• Formal organization

• Oral history

Purpose of collecting such information is to;

• Understand the nature of customary rights/interest in project area

• Provide a resource for com’ty planning and the appropriate

targeting of social development programs

• Assist with the management of biodiversity conservation

• Assist with cultural heritage management

• Assist with the implementation of REDD

• Document the com’ty groups/legal entities which exist within the

Study area and where possible the entire Initiative Area

2010-2011-Study Area

Ward 17 Efogi -Efogi

1 &2, Enivilogo,

Haelogo

Ward 18

Manari-

Manari,

Loni,

Naoro 1 &

2, Ebologo

Madilogo,

Ward 16

Boridi –

Maraba,

Daoi, Boridi,

Milei,

Manumu

Ward 15 Kagi

Kagi & Naduri

SM & Mt Koiari

• SM field work has covered a total of 5

wards (Koiari Rural), i.e:18 villages with 1

villages left

• Mt Koiari-rugged terrains, villages ~2 to

6km apart

• Predominantly SDAs

• Speak Koiari

• Socially isolated till 1950s

Social Mapping Approach

3 fieldworks spanning 1-2 weeks each resulting in an overwhelming

amount of data

– Community Entry-via advance information sheet/track radio

announcement & follow up on arrival @ village with a community

forum

▪ Purpose: apart from com’ty entry becomes a means of

obtaining CONSENT to conduct SM basically FPIC

▪ Informal Means/gestures of Consent; welcome songs, welcome

notices, trad dancing, com’ty welcome parade, gift/lace

presenting

▪ Formal consent seek through forum

Intensive structured/non structured interview

▪ Genealogies, history, myths, trad tributaries, local Mt names etc

General observations and photography

Cultural sites,

artefacts etc

Data collection: Illustration

Data collection and type

Haelogo Population since1949

Department of Environment and Conservation Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

Year Tot.pop Pop Diff

1949 92

1953 84 -8

1955 91 +7

1956 100 +9

1958 102 +2

1959 102 00

1960 92 +10

1963 96 +4

1968 109 +13

1969 105 -4

2000 54 -51

2010 56 +2

‘James Fewtrell with 103-year-old Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, Ovuru Ndiki’

Genealogical Data analysis

Using SM software-

”Commty Express

Analysis by location

and sex

Mapping the

descendents 1958 Tax census

Findings: An Insight

• Proportion people from Koiari who are non

residents/absentees from each village covered is

as high as 75 %

• The principal factors driving emigration include

weak income generating prospects, lack of health

services, poor access to primary schooling, and

lack of access to a high school.

• Service access gets weaker as you move a way

from the Kokoda Track corridor

.

LOCAL ORGANISATION

• Local-level governments

• Ward make up-homogeneous vs.

heterogeneous (isolated)

• Special Purposes Authorities wards-4 plus 1non

SPA ward

• Landowner companies & business groups

(Ongoing Search)

• Incorporated associations (ongoing)

• Incorporated Land Groups (ongoing)

• Trekking Industry for the track villages

Other projects & IPZ

IPZ

Vabari

proposed

Agro Forestry

Binige Agro

Forestry

Program status

Current study

• Genealogy data- data entry 80% complete

• Oral history-80%

• Archival search-continuous

• Final report-draft

To be done

• Madilogo

• Follow up field work-Port Moresby Koiari

• Kokoda SM-planning

The Experience

• While there are studies that look at the

importance of the track from an Australian

and Japanese point of view, the

significance of the Kokoda Track to the

people of Papua New Guinea also needs

to assessed.

• One challenge is to record the oral

histories of the remaining few carriers who

are still alive in PNG and to record the

shared experiences of the villages at war.

Department of Environment and Conservation Terrestrial Ecosystems Management Branch

Papua New Guinea Government

THANK YOU

Elton KAITOKAI

Program Officer

Phone: 3014500

Email: ekaitokai@dec.gov.pg

www.dec.gov.pg