Who owns Kokoda Sovereign Rights, World Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen Wearing UTS

1
The Kokoda Track Experience Including Community
Practice Based Research into Supervision and
Student Projects Stephen Wearing Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
2
Experience as a platform for learning risk is
higher.
Engaging Students with your areas of interest
through projects you are working on - Kokoda
trekking plan for the communities on the Kokoda
Track.
2003 2007 A range of stakeholder workshops
including Efogi Village and Kokoda Village on
the Kokoda Trail - Porst Moresby (PNG) and
Sydney
3
(No Transcript)
4
Overview why students might find PNG of
interest.

• Its total population is 5,545,268 (July 2005
  est.)
• There is little notion of individual wealth and
  those who make money in the mines and on
  plantations tend to divide their wealth among
  their tribes/communities
• The economy is heavily dependent on a small
  number of mining and gas projects as well as the
  logging of forests, which is occurring at
  unsustainable rates
• There is also a notable migration of young man
  towards urban areas searching for work
• The local PNG economy is stagnating, with
  economic and social infrastructure rapidly
  deteriorating or collapsing.

5
Approach

• "provide students with authentic,
• individualised work-integrated learning
• experiences, which also offer considerable
• value to the industry organisation and
• community groups involved." While
• "Students have found that working on a
• community-engaged project gives them
• grounding in real-world experiences, while
• providing information for communities and
• Industry that is both useful and inspiring

6
so close but so different

• The population faces a critical state of literacy
  rate of 52 per cent. Women are particularly
  disadvantaged as girls get less schooling than
  boys.
• Hospital services are available only in Port
  Moresby (Commonwealth.of.Australia, 2000).
• The International Monetary Fund noted that the
  key social indicators, including life expectancy,
  infant mortality, maternal mortality, child
  malnutrition and adult literacy are among worst
  in the region.
• Additionally, the Australian Government reports
  While it remains a parliamentary democracy,
  PNGs political and social unity is fragile. Its
  economy is weak, crime rates are high and the
  vast majority of the population remains engaged
  in subsistence agriculture.
• Living conditions, especially in rural areas, are
  poor.

7
(No Transcript)
8
So many opportunities to be of service Tourism
and Kokoda

• PNGs potential for tourism is largely
  undeveloped. According to the PNG Tourism and
  Promotion Authority (TPA), there were
  approximately 70,000 visitors to PNG in 2005.
• Of these, only about 20,000 were tourists, over
  2,000 of whom trekked the Kokoda Track. The
  increase of trekkers on Kokoda has been from
  about 76 in 2001 to an expected 5000 in 2008.
• The Kokoda brand, that is the feelings,
  perceptions and values held about the Kokoda
  Track by potential customers (trekkers), is well
  established and is what sets the Track apart from
  other tourism destinations in PNG.
• Clearly, the Kokoda Track can act as a draw card
  for tourists to PNG and is an increasingly
  important source of tourism revenue in its own
  right.

9
Tourism and Kokoda

• PNGs potential for tourism is largely
  undeveloped. According to the PNG Tourism and
  Promotion Authority (TPA), there were
  approximately 70,000 visitors to PNG in 2005. Of
  these, only about 20,000 were tourists, over
  2,000 of whom trekked the Kokoda Track. The
  increase of trekkers on Kokoda has been from
  about 76 in 2001 to an expected 5000 in 2008.
• The Kokoda brand, that is the feelings,
  perceptions and values held about the Kokoda
  Track by potential customers (trekkers), is well
  established and is what sets the Track apart from
  other tourism destinations in PNG.
• Clearly, the Kokoda Track can act as a draw card
  for tourists to PNG and is an increasingly
  important source of tourism revenue in its own
  right.

10
An example of the difference that creates the
opportunity for experiences to learn from
TABLE Contrasting the Pacific Way with Western
Education.
11
Methods

• Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is an
  innovative approach to data collection in
  participatory research
• The philosophy is that the researcher is required
  to acknowledge and appreciate that the research
  participants have the necessary knowledge and
  skills to be partners in the whole research
  process
• Illuminating data was collected in workshops
  from 2004 to 2006 using PRA techniques, which
  underscored the Kokoda Track communities
  perception of tourism and trekking and how they
  could be improved to contribute to their
  lifestyle.

Real History 7 of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels
12
Providing a Service and taking the expert out of
the picture
13
Connecting experiences
14
Engaging with History Canberra interfering
with sovereign rights in PNG?

• Mr Rudd was greeted by lines of traditional
  dancers and more than 1000 onlookers as he
  arrived in Port Moresby for a trip that Sir
  Michael said was the first official state visit
  by an Australian prime minister since PNG gained
  independence from Australia in 1975.
• One local observed "It's a big turnout, but it
  isn't as big as when Darren Lockyer came last
  year."

15
Learning about our ill informed media and
Government

• The area proposed for mining falls within the
  Port Moresby water catchment no open cut mining
  is allowed.
• If the EIS had been allowed to run its course the
  mine would have been refused
• Frontier Resources are not a mining company
• It is only one Community on the Kokoda who want
  the mining around 30 other villages (16 groups)
  would get nothing.

16
Being their and engagedThe Cyclone Guba
everyone forgot about it

• In November 2007 the Cyclone Guba created a
  significant disaster on the Northern area of
  Kokoda
• Thousands of people are in desperate need of
  food, clean water and medical supplies after
  floods washed away homes, roads, bridges and food
  gardens in Oro Province last week.
• The death toll has passed 160, and officials fear
  it will climb unless supplies reach the disaster
  zone quickly.
• http//www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197
  ,22803489-16953,00.html

17
STEVE MARSHALL (The World Today) That
won't please the 1,000-strong group of landowners
who say the track is off limits to tourists
unless the mine gets the green light. They stand
to earn decent slice of the mines profits.
Frontier Resources puts the mines potential at
around 10-billion. It's already spent 4-million
in exploration costs.

• A group of about 20 landowners, who have been
  urging the PNG Government to approve the mine,
  held a protest near the airport during Mr Rudd's
  arrival, but authorities insisted they remain
  out of sight.

18
AN Australian company has admitted stage-managing
the closure of the Kokoda Track to force Port
Moresby to renew a lease for its 1 billion gold
and copper mine.
19
Mapping Kokoda tourism in 5 years
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
Extent of Experiences seeing issues for women in
developing countries with first hand engagement
23
Networking for real Yahoo Serious presenting to
local community in Efogi Village
24
Risk What Risk?
Risk is a factor in outcomes here ie student is
not interested after a few months, project
changes due to changes in community, situation in
the country changes all contribute to a higher
risk of changed outcomes but this can be both a
positive and a negative.
25

• Community Engagement - Outcomes
• engaging in PNG and KTF has enabled me to involve
  students in the School of Leisure Sport and
  Tourism in the process and projects
• So Far it has provided grounds for
• 5 Final year Tourism Management Projects
• 2 Honours degrees
• 3 Ecotourism Planning and Management Projects
• 2 Internship Placements with the KTF
• 2 Students presenting to Federal Government
  steering committee
• 1 student doing a consultancy for Federal
  Government
• 2 papers in journals, 3 Lectures in my courses
  at UTS, 1 Lecture Wageningen University
  Netherlands 2 Lectures Macquarie University, 2
  Staff seminars (Macquarie University World
  Leisure Centre for Excellence)

26
1) Amy Whenmen Tourism Management Project 1 2
A Guide for the Kokoda Track posted on KTF
website http//www.kokodatrackfoundation.org/ -
KTF presented with Kokoda Guide The Kokoda Track
Foundation has been presented with an independent
guide to the track, its people and environs by
university student, Amy Whenman. Ms Whenman
completed the 52-page "Guide Book for Trekkers"
as part of her studies at UTS with Associate
Professor Stephen Wearing. 2) Michael Vumbaca
- Tourism Management Project 1 2 - Low Impact
Campsites on the Kokoda - The Kokoda Track
Foundation has turned this into a fundraising
exercise to get compositing toilets on the Track
Krappers for the Kokoda Shane Kenny
Jacobsen is going to front the fundraising
effort. 3) Ina Bosic Honours - How
intermediaries can contribute to the production
of new knowledge, which in turn can facilitate
communication between two worlds (different
socio-political spheres, each characterised by
different views) A case study of Tour Operators
and Local Communities on Kokoda Track, PNG.
Submitted Article - Wearing, S. L., and Bosic,
I. (submitted Dec 2006) From Poverty to
Empowerment in Sustainable Tourism Development
VillageTour Operator Power Dynamics on the
Kokoda Track (Papua New Guinea), Journal of
Sustainable Tourism.
27
4) Simone Gabowski Ecotourism Planning and
Man. Honours PhD in 2009 Developing
Ecotourism on the Kokoda Track Defining the
variables in Planning for a Market based approach
results used in Kokoda Track Ecotrekking
Strategy prepared by KTF, WWF UTS and was
presented to Michael Somare, Prime Minister of
Papua New Guinea in 2007. 5) Nancy White
Ecotourism Planning and Management Guideline
for World Heritage Listing the Kokoda Track
prepared with International Union for the
Conservation of Nature and WWF PNG for the
potential listing of the Kokoda for World
Heritage listing. Results used by Federal
Government in preparing listing application
28
Risk What Risk? Well! A Story about Toilets
29
Risk What Risk? Well! A Story about Toilets
30
I present the student with my idea on
self-directed learning Self-direction is not a
matter of having it or not having it. We all
have it, which is to say that we all have some
skill in self-directed learning. We develop and
increase these skills the same way as with other
skills - through practice, stretching a little,
trying some new things, and more practice. It is
clear that most of us practised a lot of
information acquisition in schools, so we
developed that skill. But, along with
remembering information, there are many other
intellectual abilities, and most of us didnt get
much practice in those others, the very ones that
contribute most to self-direction in learning.
(Wearing 1996 2)
With an idea of what experiential learning can
achieve It is through experience that we learn,
and only the students experience (intellectual
as well as direct) will help them learn
significantly and deeply. (Wearing 1997 13)
(Wearing 1997 14)
31
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
32
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
This table was adapted from Kraft, K. and Sakofs
M (eds) (1986) The Theory of Experiential
Education. Association for Experiential
Education. p23.
33
The idea behind introducing students to the
student to projects that a staff member is
engaged with is to create the basis for
Community Engagement so that the staff and the
project provides students with the basic
knowledge, understanding and experience needed to
operate as professionals in a community. It
provides the student with the concept of
returning something to the community from their
learning and promoting students active,
responsible and continuing participation in local
and global development. For example the
students have found that in completing a
community engaged project through their subjects
they get a grounding in real world experiences
while providing information for communities and
stakeholders that is both useful and useful.
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
34
This style of integration of staff project and
student study though a framework of community
engagement enables the student to participate in
an international community projects. Students
can then actively engage in a series of unique
and demanding educational experiences during the
preparation, participation and evaluation phases
of their projects. Hands-on community work
will allow students to gain invaluable personal
and career experience, as well as build powerful
life and job skills that can be applied towards
future community building initiatives.
Community engagement activities are designed to
inspire and inform students about the various
issues surrounding development and philanthropic
community projects. Involvement in community
projects will encourage students to cultivate an
understanding of the value of community
development work through results-oriented
community based activities. This learning
atmosphere will contribute to a positive
self-image through team based, success-orientated
activities, while at the same time extend
individuals self awareness by creating
opportunities for the identification of personal
strengths and clarification of individual needs
and goals.
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)
35
Community engagement activities are designed to
inspire and inform students about the various
issues surrounding development and philanthropic
community projects. Involvement in community
projects will encourage students to cultivate an
understanding of the value of community
development work through results-oriented
community based activities. This learning
atmosphere will contribute to a positive
self-image through team based, success-orientated
activities, while at the same time extend
individuals self awareness by creating
opportunities for the identification of personal
strengths and clarification of individual needs
and goals.
Who owns Kokoda? - Sovereign Rights, World
Heritage, Mining, Tourism and the Local Stephen
Wearing (UTS)