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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

Maisin, Papua New Guinea Landowners Just Say 'No' to Loggers

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

8/26/97

OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE

The Collingwood Bay area in Papua New Guinea is on the cutting edge

of development of small scale, sustainable development that emphasizes

the maintenance of conservation values. The area is geologically

spectacular, as steep, forested slopes surround a lagoon. The

resultant sharp elevation gradient has intact and different community

types stretching from the sea to hill type forests, and is one of the

most important centers of biodiversity identified in PNG. Landowners

there have restated their strong determination to not fall prey to

predatory logging, and instead, pursue meaningful community driven

development through the sale of tapa cloth (a special local art form

made of beaten bark and then painted with an intricate pattern).

There is a need to strengthen and consolidate, perhaps through

additional conservation development inputs, this bulwark of sensible

and Melanesian appropriate development paradigm. Following are two

Post Courier accounts, including an editorial board item that

describes the project as "one of the best decisions to emerge in this

country in a long time" and then states "it is time to put a stop to

further logging to save PNG's forests for the future generations."

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

ITEM #1

Title: Community says 'no' to the loggers

Source: Post Courier

Status: Copyrighted, request reprint permissions from sourcce

Date: August 25, 1997

Community says `no' to the loggers

THE Maisin community in the Collingwood Bay area of Northern Province

has taken a stand against large-scale logging, opting instead for

alternative income-generating business opportunities.

The people and chiefs of the seven Maisin villages have rejected

overtures by logging companies interested in their forests, considered

to be of high bio-diversity value, and have embarked on a program of

sustainable development through their own development agency, Maisin

Integrated Conservation and Development (MICAD).

Last week they saw one of the first fruits of that strategy, with the

inauguration of a telephone service.

The solar-powered telephone was funded by the people themselves

through profits from the sale of tapa. In the process of linking the

people to the world outside, it will generate income to be used for

the benefit of the villagers.

Money paid for the use of the phone will go towards buying medicines

for the local health clinic, among other things.

MICAD chairman Silvester Moi said at the launching of the phone

service that the people should be commended for their achievement

because they had chosen a sustainable development strategy which did

not destroy their resources or their cultural heritage and would

ensure a ``better livelihood for generations.''

He said all communities throughout the country should adopt similar

strategies, instead of allowing loggers in to plunder their forests

and destroy their environment.

MICAD's major business venture is the Maisin Tapa Business Group

(MTBG) which is involved in marketing of tapa overseas.

Mr Moi said there was a ready market for tapa and exhibitions were

being planned in the United States to encourage more textile companies

to buy Maisin tapa.

The project, which began in 1995, had been a resounding success so

far, he said, and other small scale ventures were being investigated.

He thanked Greenpeace, Conservation Melanesia and other non-government

organisations for helping the people to realise these achievements.

He added that educating the people about the importance of the

environment and sustainable development would continue to be a

priority for MICAD to improve the livelihood of the Maisins, with the

assistance of volunteers from the United States Peace Corps and non-

government organisations.

Greenpeace Pacific representative Lafcardio Cortesi said the people's

initiative was very encouraging and showed they were genuinely

concerned about the possible destruction of their environment.

Sister Yasuko, from the Japanese NGO group JOMAS, said logging

companies should be chased away from PNG forever.

She said the telephone gave the Maisin people a connection with the

outside world for the first time, an achievement made possible by

their own commitment to preserve their environment by putting a stop

to logging in the area.

ITEM #2

Title: Maisin show a fine example

Source: Post Courier

Status: Copyrighted, request reprint permissions from source

Date: August 25, 1997

Byline: Editorial Board

CONGRATULATIONS to the Maisin people of the Collingwood Bay area of

Oro for refusing to allow their rich timber resources to be logged by

timber companies.

The decision they made to preserve their forest and use their

resources in a sustainable way is one of the best decisions to emerge

in this country in a long time.

People in many other parts of Papua New Guinea no longer enjoy their

tropical rainforests because they have sold their timber rights for a

few kina and now regret having made the decision to allow logging

companies take away their timber.

The Maisin people learnt from the mistakes and have decided that they

can benefit more from their forest resources through a sustainable use

of those resources than having large-scale logging, which will change

the face of their jungle for ever.

Their decision to preserve their forests so they continue to produce

their world-famous tapa cloth is a commendable one.

The Maisin people should be proud of themselves for making that

decision.

People in other parts of PNG ought to stop and think about the

decision taken by the Maisin people of Oro.

Throughout Papua New Guinea, we have seen far too much destruction of

our forests through uncontrolled logging.

It is time to put a stop to further logging to save PNG's forests for

the future generations.

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