Second Go for Cheating Logger

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/

3/26/98

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Second go for cheating logger

Source: The Independent

Date: March 20, 1998

Byline: Abby Yadi

ENVIRONMENT AND Conservation Minister Herowa Agiwa had given Hong

Kong-based logging company Yueng Group Enterprises Pty Ltd, another

chance to submit a new environmental plan for the Hekiko forest

resources, even after the company tried to cheat on the government.

The minister on December 24, 1997, gave a "provisional approval" to

the company which allowed it six months to submit a proper

environmental plan for Hekikio forest area in the Gulf province.

The same company had earlier submitted to the Environment and

Conservation department a defective environmental plan for logging

operations at Hekiko. It had used information from different forest

areas in a different province for the Hekiko project.

Newly appointed head of Environment and Conservation Dr Wari Iamo

confirmed that the department had rejected the first environmental

plan "as it had obviously been copied from a plan for a different

province which was obvious from the use of geographical names from

other areas."

But even if this constituted a serious offence, the department has

gone ahead and given Yueng another opportunity to resubmit a new and

proper plan, which is currently being evaluated.

Dr Iamo, responding to an article in this newspaper on March 6, about

the attempt by the company to obtain an approval of its environmental

plan for Hekiko using the wrong environmental information, said he was

new and was unaware of the background to the issuing of the approval.

But he said he is extremely concerned over the report.

The Independent reported that Yeung used information on the

environment at the Warongoi and Baining forest areas of East New

Britain to obtain a "provisional approval" from the Environment and

Conservation minister, which secured the Hekiko timber resources in

the Gulf province to the Hong Kong-based logger.

The report said the environment at Hekiko could be exposed to major

risks if proper plans were not put in place.

The report also said unsustainable felling rates had also been

proposed for Hekiko. Yeung had submitted that the Hekiko forest area

would sustain a harvest rate of 40 cubic metres per hectare. A study

of the Hekiko forest area showed that only 13 cubic metres per hectare

was sustainable.

Dr Iamo said he has done preliminary investigations on the matter and

has found that the environmental plan itself was still undergoing

evaluation and response from key stakeholders had not been submitted

yet.

He said the six-month "provisional approval" was for the movement of

equipment to the site only.

"No consent was given for any work to start such as clearing of sites,

construction of road and log felling. The consent also stated that it

was not to be used as a guarantee to obtain a favourable response to

the project development," Dr Iamo said.

An industry source said Dr Iamo's statement is contradictory in that

he say the approval was to allow the company to move equipment to the

site, and that the approval did not guarantee the company a favourable

response to project development.

"It makes no sense to move equipment to a site and then be told to

remove them, if your plan is rejected," he said.

Dr Iamo, meanwhile, said he is awaiting a full report from his

department on the whole matter and would take necessary action,

including legal recourse, if provisions were in fact breached.

"The department, as a sponsor of a cabinet submission which set up the

Kikori River Basin Integrated Development project in 1993, had greater

responsibility to ensure that any development project in the area was

sustainable and did not compromise the ecological viability of the

area," he said.

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