It lies along the Highlands Highway 9 miles (14 km) from the center of Lae between the foothills of the Atzera Range and the Markham River.

[4] The possibility of major landsides in this area has increased as a result of human modification to the natural vegetation cover through clearing and gardening.

The NARI's livestock research and development centre is at Labu in Morobe Province and the Chemistry Laboratory at Kilakila in Port Moresby.

[9] In 1978 the Human Ecology Programme of the Department of Minerals and Energy, assisted by the UNEP and Unesco (Man and the Biosphere MAB Project 11) and in co-operation with the Lae City Council, instigated the Atzera Hills Project, described as an ecologically sound management system to arrest the rapid deterioration and loss of productive capacity of 600 ha of Atzera Hills.

[10] The Atzera project folded after only three years despite efforts to train and raise awareness on the benefits of charcoal, the uptake in PNG households was minimal.