At self-government in 1973, a ministry of Lands and Environment was established, but there was no articulated environmental policy. A separate ministry for Environment and Conservation was established in 1974, supported by an Office of Environment and Conservation (OEC); in 1985 this became a full department (Unisearch PNG 1992).

In 1976 a Statement of Environment and Conservation Principles was accepted by the National Parliament (Office of Environment and Conservation 1976). Significant aspects included: the need for ecological, social and culturally suitable forms of development and their consideration in project planning; sustainability; environmental responsibilities; environmental education and awareness; the role of the 'polluter pays' principle; and Papua New Guinea's international role and responsibilities.

By the end of the 1980s there was a plethora of legislation covering areas related directly or indirectly to environment and conservation. These are outlined in Unisearch PNG (1992), Mowbray (2000, 2005) and Yaru and Bulina (2005). Important legislation directly under the ministry and Department of Environment and Conservation included: the Environmental Planning Act, 1978; Environmental Contaminants Act, 1978; Conservation Areas Act, 1978; Water Resources Act, 1982; Fauna (Protection and Control) Act, 1966; International Trade (Flora and Fauna) Act, 1979; and National Parks Act, 1982. Other relevant legislation included the Physical Planning Act, 1989 and the Land Act, 1962, which are significant in Papua New Guinea where only about 5 per cent of land is owned or has been compulsorily acquired by the state.

Together these acts comprised a body of legislation aimed at ensuring the delivery of effective environmental management, affecting the aims of the National Goals.

Since independence a good deal of other legislation has been enacted relating to environmental goals. These include legislation in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, health, town planning, water planning, and agriculture sectors (Unisearch PNG 1992, 110). Further, Papua New Guinea has become party to many international conventions and treaties, which in some cases have required enabling legislation which has mostly been enacted (see Unisearch PNG 1992; Mowbray 2000, 2005; Piest and Velasquez 2003; Yaru and Bulina 2005). Two notable recent treaties are the Kyoto Treaty on Climate Change of 2000 and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS) Treaty signed in Stockholm in 2001.