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PAPUA NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CAMPAIGN NEWS

Greenpeace Supports Call for Donor Backing of Logging Moratorium

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest Conservation

08/12/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

Greenpeace has added its voice to Papua New Guinea governmental

officials, local NGOs and others calling upon multi and bi-lateral

donors to PNG to support implementation of the "fragile eight month

old moratorium on new logging concessions in PNG's ancient forests."

As the largest remaining rainforest wilderness in the Asia/Pacific

region, and the third largest in the World, now is the time for donors

to step up to the plate to invest in preserving and carrying out

conservation management in these huge, globally significant rainforest

areas. The European Union has an ongoing excellent community based

eco-forestry project, and the World Bank and AusAID have large,

promising projects nearing completion that include financing and

support for conservation based community development. Unless this

moratorium that includes reviewing planned large, commercial logging

projects (essentially all the commercially valuable and accessible

ancient rainforest landscapes remaining in PNG) is done well, all

these donor projects are throwing money down a drain. I add to the

call that the donor financed forest conservation projects in PNG get

serious about finding ways to support the implementation of this new

logging moratorium. Further, it is important that they go further in

financing the establishment of the policy environment for alternative

types of forest management beyond industrial log exports, including

community based eco-forestry and conservation areas composed of

amalgamations of clan lands under a management plan. Recall there is

still a very important action alert to encourage government action in

this regard at:

http://forests.org/forms/email/pngaa.htm

Nice to see Greenpeace becoming increasingly vocal in PNG as well as

the rest of the world on identifying and publicly stating forest

conservation policy prescriptions.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Greenpeace supports call for donor backed ban

Source: The Independent (PNG), Copyright 2000

Date: August 10, 2000

GREENPEACE has backed a plea by a senior Papua New Guinean government

official for international aid to support a fragile eight month old

moratorium on new logging concessions in PNG's ancient forests.

Greenpeace Pacific forests campaigner Lafcadio Cortesi said if the

world wanted PNG's forests protected then everyone had to do their

part.

'With the largest ancient forests remaining in the Asia Pacific and

the third largest on the planet, PNG's forests are well worth saving

from industrial logging,' he said.

Last week PNG landholders, government officers and environment groups

met to attend a forestry conference in Port Moresby. During the

conference PGN Office of Environment and Conservation Secretary Dr

Wari Iamo asked for international support if the international

community wanted PNG to protect its ancient forests.

Oscar Otto, President of KOROA (Kosua Orogo Resource Owners

Association), the landholder association of communities in the

Bosavi region of Western and Southern Highlands provinces said

landholders wanted the moratorium to be maintained.

'We want the moratorium on new logging concessions to stay in place

so we can have a chance to decide what we want to do without the

company coming down on us,' Mr Otto said.

In December last year, the new PNG government imposed a moratorium

on all new forest concessions and extensions and plantations.

Almost half of Papua New Guinea's accessible forests are already

committed to industrial logging. PNG forests cover 40 million

hectares, of which 15 million hectares are loggable. Mr Cortesi

said Greenpeace would support the push for international aid to

provide a breathing space to allow sustainable development to be

fostered in PNG communities.

'We heard from landholders, government officers and non-government

organisations alike that most Papua New Guineans would reject

industrial logging if they had access to better services and were

allowed the space, free from outside meddling, to make decisions

and drive their own development,' he said.

'If the international community were to compensate PNG for revenue

lost by extending the current ban on new logging concessions and

link such support to improvement of services, this space could well

be created. Perhaps by enlisting the support of non-government

organisations and others, the PNG government should request

international donors to finance a transition away from industrial

logging and help develop a mechanism for keeping the moratorium in

place,' Mr Cortesi said.

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