Nominating and managing a World Heritage Site in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Kuk Swamp in the Upper Wahgi valley of Papua New Guinea is a site of early and independent agricultural development. The site is the first to be nominated by the government of Papua New Guinea for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The nomination of the Kuk Early Agricultural Site, as an organically evolved cultural landscape, is centred on traditional land management practices of Kawelka (a Meldpa-speaking group) landholders. The framework, challenges and problems of nominating and managing Kuk as a World Heritage Site in contemporary Papua New Guinea are discussed.