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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

Forest Resources--A PNG NGO Perspective

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

6/24/97

OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE

Following are excerpts related to forestry and conservation from The

Individual and Community Rights Advocacy Forum's (ICRAF) publication

entitled "Justice & Freedom, An NGO Program for Human Rights, Gender

Equality, Land Rights and Natural Resources for the 21st Century."

The entire document, and the forest section in particular, provides

one of the most coherent visions for a just and sustainable PNG

development process that I have yet come across.

To those who have been receiving these emails, and are wondering WHAT

CAN I DO? Here are 18 specific items for action, campaigning, letter

writing, etc. in support of PNG NGO identified forest conservation

priorities. While I do not agree with every conclusion reached, and

find some internal contradictions in the items, this is a good

starting point for reflection and action on behalf of PNG's forests.

ICRAF is currently one of the most effective, vocal and involved PNG

NGOs in forest conservation and social justice in general. The entire

document lays out policy prescriptions for many areas, and could be

acquired by contacting ICRAF at Box 155, PO University, NCD, PNG. I

am sure they would appreciate donations to defray costs of mailing,

etc.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Justice & Freedom, An NGO Program for Human Rights, Gender

Equality, Land Rights and Natural Resources for the 21st

Century; the Forest Resources Section

Author: The Individual and Community Rights Advocacy Forum Inc.

Date: March 1997

Status: Contact ICRAF prior to publishing

Pages: 28-31

FOREST RESOURCES

There has been various activities relating to forests since the Prime

Minister of PNG commissioned the Forest Inquiry in 1987. The Barnett

Inquiry Report highlighted the major problems that existed in the

forest sector because there was no clear policy and planning.

According to the Report the most neglected areas of forest policy have

been the landowners' participation in policy and planning of forest

management. The other important issue is the conservation of the

forest resources.

Forestry in Papua New Guinea is in a state of crisis. The current

Forest Policy does not cater for full land holder participation and

the Government, developers and some land owner companies are

bulldozing everything and not consulting and telling resource owners

the state of affairs.

70. LANDOWNERS TO PARTICIPATE IN POLICY, PLANNING AND FOREST

MANAGEMENT

Forestry laws and policy must recognise and confirm the participation

of customary landholders to participate in policy and planning of

forest management. This participation must ensure the equal

participation of women.

71. ENSURE ADEQUATE CONSULTATION WITH LANDHOLDERS

The Government prior to any kind of development regarding the forestry

sector, has in the past consistently shown lack of meaningful

consultation with customary landholders/resource owners. The

government must consult with customary landholders and resource

custodians before any forestry activity takes place. Furthermore,

customary owners must have access to lawyers of their own choice to

explain the Forestry Act of 1991, other relevant legislation and

proposed amendments to these laws.

72. FOREST OWNERS TO EXERCISE CONTROL OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR

OWN FOREST RESOURCES

Forest owners must exercise control over the development of their

forest resources. Customary owners must not sell or give away their

rights to the State or companies. To support this policy the sale of

timber rights to the state Forest Authority must be abolished.

73. EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE FORESTRY SECTOR

We call upon Governments, businesses, NGOs, policy makers and the

community to ensure that women participate equally in access to

information, skills, decision making and distribution of benefits from

forest activities, and to ensure that women have equal access to

employment, education, and training opportunities in forest

management. We must also ensure women's involvement in making

national-level Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards for forest

certification.

74. IMPROVE FOREST MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS

Forest Management Agreements (FMAs) are extremely important contracts

where landholders deal with timber resources worth hundreds of

millions of kina. Landholders must be allowed to freely negotiate the

terms of these Forest Management Agreements, and they must have the

advice of lawyers of their choice during negotiations. FMAs must

provide for the real management of forests through a mechanism which

allows substantial land holder input.

Landholders should sell their logs, and not their timber rights.

Forest Management Agreements must make sure that landholders properly

sell their forest resources by selling from a well-defined area a

particular groups of trees which has had a full inventory done and

logs must be purchased at a fair price that reflects the Free on Board

(FOB) market price. The emphasis in FMAs must also shift away from

large-scale concessions (which should be phased out), and focus on

sustainable medium and small scale developments over which landholders

have substantial control.

75. REVIEW AND REVISE UNFAIR FOREST CONTRACTS

Existing forest concession contracts, such as FMAs between resource

owners, the State and companies need to be reviewed because many are

unfair and inequitable contracts. These contracts must be changed to

allow customary landholders the right to share in the profit, control

and the development of the forest resources. Customary landholders

must have a greater say in their forest and its resource management.

76. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FAIRNESS OF TRANSACTIONS ACT

The Fairness of Transactions Act, which was passed by Parliament in

1993 but has not been brought into effect, should be gazetted and

brought into effect. This legislation will allow landholders, who are

the victims of unfair contracts (ie. FMAs), the right to get their

contracts reviewed by the courts.

77. EXPORT LOGGING TO BE BANNED BY THE YEAR 2000

Government forest policy has stipulated that export logging will be

banned by the year 2000. We support the banning of export logging by

the year 2000. However, bureaucrats in the Forest Authority and the

loggers are still signing agreements which allow for substantial

export logging well past the year 2000. The Government must

immediately put in place a mechanism where Forest Management

Agreements exceeding the year 2000 are critically scrutinised and

brought under review as they are contrary to existing forest policy.

78. LOGGING INTO THE HANDS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEANS

Log contracting involves the managing of chain-saws, bull-dozers and

timber-jinkers, which requires a great deal of capital. The log

contracting industry is presently in the hands of foreigners because

Papua New Guineans can not get proper access to loan capital. It is

in the best interest of this country that the logging industry be

reserved for Papua New Guinea contractors only. We call upon

governments, policy makers, and businesses to support community

control over revenue and benefits from forestry, and to ensure that

forest projects are owned and controlled by PNG based businesses.

79. PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

We call upon governments, businesses, NGOs, policy makers and the

community to conserve Biodiversity, sustainably manage forest

resources, ensure that all forestry projects have a proper land-use

management plan negotiated at the community level, enforce all

relevant laws and standards governing logging and infrastructure

development, and ensure environmental monitoring for all forestry

projects.

80. ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY SCHEMES

Eco-Forestry, sustainable logging and eco-tourism must be encourage in

order to minimise depletion of the forest and to minimise pollution.

In addition, we must take steps to provide assistance and support to

small scale local industries and businesses to help them sell their

products within the country and to help identify Overseas markets.

81. EMPHASISE SUSTAINABLE MEDIUM AND SMALL-SCALE FOREST DEVELOPMENT

The emphasis in forest development must move away from large-scale

logging projects to sustainable medium and small-scale projects. This

will minimise the harmful impact on our valuable rainforest and

maximise the forest's value.

82. STOP FOREIGN LOGGING COMPANIES FROM MARKETING LOGS

The present logging market gives foreign logging companies a dominant

position in the forest industry, and puts landowners at their mercy.

The existing Forestry Act provides for a state market option (where

the state will purchase logs at market value which helps to ensure a

fair and honest market) and requires the state to assist customary

landholders with log marketing.

The National Forest Authority must implement the state marketing

option immediately.

The National Forest Authority should ban sales of log exports by

logging companies. Logging companies must sell through either:

* the state marketing option; or

* independent agents.

83. DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING 55/45

There is no guarantee that down-stream processing (where logs will be

manufactured within the country), will help landholders any more than

export logging. There is the problem of companies pressuring the

government to control raw log prices which will result in large-scale

down-stream processing log prices falling well below the prices for

export logs (see Duncan R C Melanesian Forestry Sector Study AIDAB,

1994, p4).

Downstream processing should be the only sector of the forestry

industry that allows foreign investment. But in order to ensure that

land holders are not cheated downstream processing profits should be

shared 55/45 between local and foreign investors.

84. SHARE EQUITY AND PROFIT SHARING

The Forestry Act must be amended to allow customary land and resource

holders to have a 55 per cent share in any forestry activity.

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source for reprinting. All efforts are made to provide accurate,

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information rests with the reader. Check out our Gaia Forest

Conservation Archives at URL= http://forests.org/

Networked by Ecological Enterprises, gbarry@forests.org