Source: Papua New Guinea

Strip mining and vacuum mining are coming to the seafloor

The last great unexplored wilderness on Earth is about to experience industrial-scale mining that could change the face of the pristine seabed of the deep ocean for generations to come, scientists have warned.

Source: PNG Loop

Pacific Civil Society groups including churches, non-governmental organisations(NGOs), feminist and women’s groups, indigenous customary landowners and community groups have a well established and firm stance on the issue of seabed mining – stop all seabed mining activities  – for several reasons.

Source: The National

MARINE life in Madang is facing environmental risks created by major development projects in the province, says a non-government organisation.

Mas Kagin Tapani Association project co-ordinator Wenceslaus  Magun said the Ramu nickel cobalt mine deep sea tailings endangered marine life.

The tailings have already polluted the Basamuk Bay just after two years of mining operations, he said.

Source: EMTV Online

Source: PNG Mine Watch

Experimental Seabed Mining (Graphic: Greenpeace)

Itsounds futuristic, but a Canadian company has struck a deal with Papua New Guinea to mine gold and other metals from deep beneath the sea. Greenpeace campaigner Richard Page tells host Steve Curwood the project raises concerns about the impact on life in the deep ocean.

Source: OurLandOurBusiness

WHOSE LAND IS IT ANYWAY? Right now, millions of people are being thrown off their land because large corporations are being given special rights. The World Bank is driving this destructive trend with its Doing Business rankings, which force countries to compete with each other to do away with things like environmental protections, workers rights and corporation taxes. Sign on to demand the abolition of the rankings.

Follow Link to sign;http://ourlandourbusiness.org/#home

Source: Radio Australia

Source: Radio Australia

The Australian government has opened new midwifery training facilities in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby to boost the number of qualified midwives.

Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop announced the $7.5 million Kina funding to help train 500 more midwives by next year.

Dr Nancy Buasi, head of the PNG Midwifery Society, says a lack of resources means that number will be hard to achieve.

But Dr Buasi says the funding will be very important for the training of midwifery.

Source: PNG Mine Watch

Collecting more information about the marine environment is a “critical need” if people are to make informed decisions about seabed mining, said the Director General of the South Pacific Regional Environment Program

Source: Cook Islands News

Alison Swaddling, an Environment Advisor with Deep Sea Minerals (DSM) Project, made a presentation on environmental considerations at this week’s workshop being held at the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. 14051321

Attendees at this week’s deep sea minerals workshop heard about the environmental issues of mining on the seabed floor.