Land tenure and artisanal miners in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The Mining Act 1992 came into force in Papua New Guinea in August 1992 repealing the antiquated provisions of the Mining Act (Chapter 195 of the Revised Laws) 1977. Among its most interesting features are innovative provisions that establish special tenure arrangements for artisanal miners. This article describes these provisions and explain the rationale for their introduction. The Papua New Guinea experience may be instructive in relation to the kinds of problems faced by policy makers in many other developing countries.