PNG Government Calls a Halt to New Logging Concessions

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

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1/18/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

Here is additional coverage of the Papua New Guinea government's

announcement that it intends to impose a moratorium on new logging

concessions. Actual implementation would be assisted by thanking the

Prime Minister, find out how at:

http://forests.org/recent/pngmimor.txt

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: PNG Govt calls a halt to new logging concessions

Source: South Pacific Currents, excerpted

A Monthly newsletter for WWF South Pacific staff and friends

Number 7, January 2000

Elisabeth Mealey" <emealey@wwfpacific.org.fj>

For more information: darren_gladman@datec.com.pg

Date: January 18, 2000

WWF has applauded the Papua New Guinea Government's decision to impose

a moratorium on new logging concessions and review all existing

logging licenses.

In a bold move announced in the December Budget speech, Prime Minister

Sir Mekere Morauta acknowledged that corruption was rife in the

forestry industry.

He committed the Government to introducing an immediate moratorium on

all new forestry licenses, extensions and conversions and to

proceeding with a review of all existing licenses. He said this would

"ensure that proper procedures are followed, that logging practices

are not carried out in an unsustainable way, and that landowners get

their fair share of benefits from resource use".

The coordinator of WWF's PNG program, Kilyali Kalit said for far too

long, logging in Papua New Guinea's forests had been carried out in an

unsustainable way, with landowners being left only the crumbs from the

pie.

"The Government must be commended for restoring the log export tax and

now, imposing this moratorium on new concessions," Kilyali Kalit said.

"The next step is to review existing policies and guidelines for

sustainable forest management. The current policy is weak because it

gives far too much emphasis to the industrial logging sector, operated

by multinational corporations."

WWF believes in empowering resource owners to achieve conservation and

sustainable use of their resources. Accordingly WWF recommends that,

as part of the review, the PNG Government should:

* Process the backlog of community-based applications for

Conservation Areas or Wildlife Management Areas and alter existing

maps to include approved protected areas.

* Redraw existing maps to identify areas where industrial logging

would be inappropriate in terms of nationally or locally determined

constraints such as biodiversity values, landscape sensitivity and

community requests for alternative uses or conservation.

* Ensure that a development options study involving the systematic

analysis of the natural and human resource context and the associated

constraints to development in any area of the country takes place

prior to suggesting identification or allocation of areas for

industrial logging.

* Ensure compliance of existing concessions with the Logging Code of

Practice and existing calculations of sustainability. Establish an

independent, third-party forestry operations inspection capacity,

including community monitoring of company compliance and

reafforestation, designed to ensure that logging operations comply

with PNG laws and standards for sustainable forestry. "The National

Constitution upholds customary tenure and access to natural

resources," said Mr. Kalit. "It is only proper that resource owners be

better informed about what is happening to their forests so that they

can identify and develop their resources in an ecologically

sustainable and socially beneficial way."

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