February 7 was the opening day of a trial that will determine whether a Chinese mining company can dump waste from its Ramu nickel mine and refinery into the Bismarck Sea. Plaintiffs in the case are Indigenous residents of coastal communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on the sea. They base their case on laws that guarantee their rights as landowners and provide protections for Papua New Guinea’s marine resources. The proposed dumping would occur within the Coral Triangle, which has the highest diversity of marine life on the planet.
