07-19-2013, 12:05 PM
It's actually a pretty organized process that is gone through. The fact that Duma has said it has been done properly says a lot. He is the one who has final say and in the end a representative group from the project area signs off on it before it goes to DPE. The problems come when some LOs realize they are not in the project area and they want what may not be theirs. Here's the process that must be gone through before DPE says it is done:
"How does the model work in practise?
A typical WAC exercise might proceed in the following manner.
Prior to entering a tenement for the first time a preliminary social mapping study is carried out. The study is prepared well in advance of the first Mining Warden’s Hearing in the case of the Mining Act and well before entry onto a tenement in the case of the Oil and Gas Act.
The study is broad ranging with a multidisciplinary bias. Apart from issues related to culture and land the study also considers logistical matters, including available infrastructure and its condition. The study is written in plain English so that it is intelligible to landowners.
A preliminary social mapping study is not an expensive exercise. Most studies can be carried out as desktop exercises combined with one or two short field trips. A myriad of data is now available on the internet and primary research is seldom required.
There are very few areas in Papua New Guinea where cultural and social data are not already available. In most cases a short field trip will reveal whether traditional societies are holding up or whether they have undergone social change or even broken down.
The social mapping report can also utilised for cultural awareness training, particularly where expatriate employees are involved. The lack of cultural awareness among company employees is a significant factor in the breakdown of relations with landholders.
Armed with the study the next step is a meeting with the local community. As most exploration programs begin with the establishment of a base camp in the area of most prospectivity the community around that area is the best starting point. Care should be taken to involve representatives from the provincial and local level governments at this point.
At the initial meeting the project is explained, the preliminary social mapping study presented and an interim survey group elected and established with appropriate retainers.
The logic of providing a copy of the preliminary social mapping study to the community is to demonstrate that you are genuinely concerned about landholder issues and also have an understanding of the people and their customs.
Studies with lots of old and new photographs are particularly well received. You should also be prepared to accept corrections and advice from the community about the report. Sometimes early anthropological work is flawed.
The survey group is then used to help draft a compensation agreement as required under the law. Statistics and information from the social mapping study can be used to help gauge and determine appropriate rates for the particular area.
The survey group then assists with the location of the base camp and any other infrastructure required. The details of this process along with any other useful cultural, land tenure and social organisation information collected are then written up in a report. Copies of the report go to the survey group for checking.
They may or may not take this report to their community and/or the relevant ILG(s) for ratification. Once this is done the survey group signs off on the report. Signing off is a simple declaration with signatures attesting to the accuracy of the report. The report is then added to the social mapping data base.
A good, on-ground community liaison officer can generally move this process along in good time.
As exploration work progresses and moves around it may be necessary to set up additional survey groups. In most cases the groups, like the ILGs, will be clan-based.
It is a good idea to use Papua New Guinean employees wherever possible. The supervision and conduct of WAC surveys and the preparation of reports do not necessarily require the use of professionals but it does require specialised community liaison personnel. These people may need training for the purpose.
A similar process then follows for other ground disturbing or social-impacting work. Details of a new seismic line or a new drill site, for example, are made available to the survey group in plenty of time for them to consider whether a Work Area Clearance survey is required and, if so, who, apart from themselves, are to be involved in it.
WAC surveys are formally scheduled and advertised to take place at a set time. People outside the group co-opted onto the survey, such as men and women with specialist knowledge, are paid a one-off fee and are signatories to the subsequent report.
Occasionally bystanders or interested individuals may come along on surveys. These people are not discouraged but it is made clear to them that only the survey group has the power to make decisions.
The WAC process then continues as a series of surveys until the project reaches the production stage or the exploration program is discontinued or abandoned. For a prospective program there is no reason why major infrastructure, such as a mine site, cannot be handled in the same way, albeit on a larger scale, and run parallel with any other studies or impact statements required under other legislation.
The whole process is relatively simple and relies on good preparatory groundwork, good communications, good public relations skills, diligent data collection, effective reporting and, above all, patience."
"How does the model work in practise?
A typical WAC exercise might proceed in the following manner.
Prior to entering a tenement for the first time a preliminary social mapping study is carried out. The study is prepared well in advance of the first Mining Warden’s Hearing in the case of the Mining Act and well before entry onto a tenement in the case of the Oil and Gas Act.
The study is broad ranging with a multidisciplinary bias. Apart from issues related to culture and land the study also considers logistical matters, including available infrastructure and its condition. The study is written in plain English so that it is intelligible to landowners.
A preliminary social mapping study is not an expensive exercise. Most studies can be carried out as desktop exercises combined with one or two short field trips. A myriad of data is now available on the internet and primary research is seldom required.
There are very few areas in Papua New Guinea where cultural and social data are not already available. In most cases a short field trip will reveal whether traditional societies are holding up or whether they have undergone social change or even broken down.
The social mapping report can also utilised for cultural awareness training, particularly where expatriate employees are involved. The lack of cultural awareness among company employees is a significant factor in the breakdown of relations with landholders.
Armed with the study the next step is a meeting with the local community. As most exploration programs begin with the establishment of a base camp in the area of most prospectivity the community around that area is the best starting point. Care should be taken to involve representatives from the provincial and local level governments at this point.
At the initial meeting the project is explained, the preliminary social mapping study presented and an interim survey group elected and established with appropriate retainers.
The logic of providing a copy of the preliminary social mapping study to the community is to demonstrate that you are genuinely concerned about landholder issues and also have an understanding of the people and their customs.
Studies with lots of old and new photographs are particularly well received. You should also be prepared to accept corrections and advice from the community about the report. Sometimes early anthropological work is flawed.
The survey group is then used to help draft a compensation agreement as required under the law. Statistics and information from the social mapping study can be used to help gauge and determine appropriate rates for the particular area.
The survey group then assists with the location of the base camp and any other infrastructure required. The details of this process along with any other useful cultural, land tenure and social organisation information collected are then written up in a report. Copies of the report go to the survey group for checking.
They may or may not take this report to their community and/or the relevant ILG(s) for ratification. Once this is done the survey group signs off on the report. Signing off is a simple declaration with signatures attesting to the accuracy of the report. The report is then added to the social mapping data base.
A good, on-ground community liaison officer can generally move this process along in good time.
As exploration work progresses and moves around it may be necessary to set up additional survey groups. In most cases the groups, like the ILGs, will be clan-based.
It is a good idea to use Papua New Guinean employees wherever possible. The supervision and conduct of WAC surveys and the preparation of reports do not necessarily require the use of professionals but it does require specialised community liaison personnel. These people may need training for the purpose.
A similar process then follows for other ground disturbing or social-impacting work. Details of a new seismic line or a new drill site, for example, are made available to the survey group in plenty of time for them to consider whether a Work Area Clearance survey is required and, if so, who, apart from themselves, are to be involved in it.
WAC surveys are formally scheduled and advertised to take place at a set time. People outside the group co-opted onto the survey, such as men and women with specialist knowledge, are paid a one-off fee and are signatories to the subsequent report.
Occasionally bystanders or interested individuals may come along on surveys. These people are not discouraged but it is made clear to them that only the survey group has the power to make decisions.
The WAC process then continues as a series of surveys until the project reaches the production stage or the exploration program is discontinued or abandoned. For a prospective program there is no reason why major infrastructure, such as a mine site, cannot be handled in the same way, albeit on a larger scale, and run parallel with any other studies or impact statements required under other legislation.
The whole process is relatively simple and relies on good preparatory groundwork, good communications, good public relations skills, diligent data collection, effective reporting and, above all, patience."