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PAPUA
NEW GUINEA RAINFOREST & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CAMPAIGN NEWS
Moratorium
on Forest Licenses "A Sigh of Relief"
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Papua New Guinea Rainforest and
Sustainable Development
News & Information -- Recently
Updated
04/02/00
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TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Moratorium a sigh of relief - Forest group
Source: Post Courier
Status: Copyright 2000, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: March 31, 2000
THE
Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry forum has welcomed the Government's
decision
to impose a moratorium on all new forestry licenses in the
country.
According
to the forestry group, the moratorium should address the
difficulties
of the forest industry by undertaking a process of
identifying
the problems, analyzing their causes and implementing the
necessary
changes to overcome them.
The
group has suggested in a preliminary submission to the Government,
dated
February 22, that there be no new forest industry licenses,
permits
or extensions granted.
The
group said a review must be done on the legal instruments in all
existing
forest concessions and legally binding proposals and a time
frame
for remediation agreed between all parties. The group said an
effective
method for implementation of monitoring systems and policing
and
enforcing the logging code of practices must also be in place.
The
group said an effective and independent system must be in place to
ensure
that forest management was socially appropriate and
economically
and environmentally sustainable.
The
group also said a new funded and defined national forest planning
process
should be in place to incorporate the views of all
stakeholders
and provide a range of management options.
The
group believes that unless these problems were addressed, there
was no
room for improvement within the industry.
In
their submission, the group highlighted three areas they believed
change
was inevitable. The group wanted a review into the legal
instruments
involved in existing forest operations. The group
suggested
that a new land use planning and decision-making process be
established,
which could properly recognise the needs of the people.
The
group submitted all forest operations should comply with the
requirements
of the logging code of practice and that an effective
method
of policing and enforcement be instituted. "The current Logging
Code of
Practice was disregarded in most forest operations as there
was no
effective policing or enforcing of the code," the submission
read.
The group is an incorporated association representing
organisations
and individuals concerned with rural community
development
and sustainable forest management.
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