Title: White paper the national ocean policy of Papua New Guinea with a focus on marine protected areas (MPAs): The case of Kimbe Bay marine protected area.

The ocean is our life support system because it drives climate and weather, generates most of the oxygen that we breathe and drives the water cycle. Societies have depended on marine resources for their livelihood and sustenance. In Papua New Guinea (PNG) the ocean has become an integral part of the very people that depend on it. But in recent years the sustainable capacity of PNG’s marine ecosystems and habitats has come under enormous threat as PNG’s rapidly growing population and the demand from overseas markets impose greater strains on these marine resources. In 2015, the Government of PNG (GoPNG) passed the Maritime Zones Act (MZA) 2015, a legislation to regulate and coordinate the usage of ocean space within its waters. With coordination of ocean use, resources can be utilised more sustainably by authorities that have jurisdictions within the different ocean zones. A National Ocean Policy will implement the MZA, hence, an ocean policy is currently being developed for that purpose. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) will be featured or included in this policy document. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop a White Paper based on the National Ocean Policy for PNG. The aim is to evaluate Kimbe Bay MPA and identify governance issues and challenges. The findings will provide policy recommendations to key decision makers.