Duke of York islands ignored in seabed mining debate by ramunickel Kabakon Island, Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea ActNow! The stunningly beautiful Duke of York islands are the closest small islands to the site of the proposed Solwara 1 experimental mine in Papua New Guinea, yet the islanders say they have been completely ignored in the mine development process. The 13 Duke of York islands sit offshore from Kokopo, in the narrow St George's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland. They lie directly south-east of where the seabed mining is scheduled to begin in 2017. The islanders are already facing the impacts of climate change with the rising sea level affecting food security on the low lying atolls. In 1999 the islanders collected signatures on a petition stating their overwhelming opposition to the proposed mining. The petition was presented to the East New Britain Provincial Government but, fifteen years later, the islanders a...