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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
VICTORY:
Papua New Guinea Cabinet Orders Overhaul of Logging Industry
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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest
Conservation Archives
http://forests.org/pngtoktok/ -- Discuss
PNG Forest Conservation
05/24/00
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
The
Papua New Guinea government has held tough, and refused to allow
renegade
elements of its Forest Authority and the rapacious foreign-
dominated
export logging industry to dissuade it from overhauling
logging
policy. The National Executive Council
has established
procedures,
thus making real, a moratorium on new logging concessions
and
review of existing operations that was announced in late 1999.
The
announcement includes an independent inquiry into the slew of
proposed
logging operations, virtually the entire body of remaining
large
rainforest expanses, which were being fast-tracked outside of
accepted
procedures. Even more significantly,
extensions of existing
timber
permits will only consist of very small additions that border
the
current Timber Permit, and not be permitted to cover extensive new
resources. This should put to rest the huge Kumula Doso
project in
Western
Province that was a 800,000 hectare (2 million acre)
"extension"
to the dominant Malaysian logging company.
Other
important
reforms include making Forest Board decisions transparent,
and
removing the timber industry representative from the Board to stop
its
dominance. Agricultural conversion
projects whose real intent
are to
clearcut forests are to be halted.
These
comprehensive reforms should provide an enabling environment
for
establishment of a forest sector consisting of more than log
exports
by multi-nationals. The vision includes
a sustainable
forestry
sector where there exists more diversity in types of forest
management
activities; where there are small, medium and some large
logging
operations that are owned by different companies; that these
companies
practice different levels of processing and try various
certified
management models; and where ecologically sustainable,
community
based forestry, as well as landowner initiated conservation
areas,
are fully accepted as legitimate and appropriate forest
management
activities.
This
incredible step forward towards reasonable forest management in
Papua
New Guinea, the 3rd largest tropical rainforest expanse in the
World,
is thanks in no small part to a committed and relatively
stable
government that can say no to timber industry corruption,
renewed
community organizing and advocacy activities by local
environmental
and community development groups, a World Bank that was
willing
to pull the plug on lending should necessary forest reforms
not be
implemented, and a vigilante and supportive international
conservation
community. Yumi olgeta ibin win! Mi hamamas nogut tru!
g.b.
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Cabinet orders overhaul of logging industry
Source: The National,
http://www.wr.com.au:80/national/
Status: Copyright 2000, contact source for
permission to reprint
Date: May 24, 2000
THE
National Executive Council yesterday endorsed a series of critical
recommendations
to overhaul the timber industry, including an
independent
inquiry into proposed logging projects covered by the
current
moratorium.
The
review would be conducted of all projects now subject to the
moratorium
to ensure full compliance with the Forestry Act and
supporting
plans, regulations, legislation and procedures.
Announcing
the Cabinet decision yesterday, Prime Minister Sir Mekere
Morauta
said the review will take no more than three months from
commencement.
Sir
Mekere also announced that:
An
inter-agency committee to be chaired by Chief Secretary Robert
Igara
will be set up to facilitate the review;
A
review will be conducted into the progress of the development of
downstream
processing in the light of the apparent continued high
levels
of raw log exports;
Decision
on conversion of forest to other land-use will be rescinded
and
other decisions to re-establish the requirements to be followed
when
such conversions are considered will be reinstated;
NEC
added a condition relating to Timber Authorities where the rights
of sale
of logs would be vested in the Government;
NEC
directed the Forest Authority to prepare regulations and drafting
instructions
for a legislative amendment specifying the legal
requirements
and procedures to apply to these conversions;
Changes
will be made to the Timber Permit system, including the
drafting
of amendments to the Forestry Act to cover geographical
extensions
to Timber Permits;
NEC
directed the National Forest Board to ensure full public
disclosure
of the decisions and plans of the board and Forest
Authority
management; and
Forest
Industries Association would lose its ex-officio position on
the
National Forest Board.
Sir
Mekere said that the NEC had in effect redefined its moratorium
decision
of last year to specially cover current proposals for the
clearing
of forest for large-scale agricultural or road projects and
geographical
extensions to Timber Permits and Timber Authorities.
These
would remain under the moratorium but forestry licences and
licence
renewals would no longer be subject to the moratorium.
Sir
Mekere said the Igara committee's report would be directed to the
Forest
Authority and then NEC.
This
would enable NEC to authorise the Forest Authority to go ahead
with
forest management agreements or project development that fully
comply.
In
relation to Timber Authorities, the NEC added a condition which
states
that where logging is part of a conversion project, it must be
done
either by a company totally unconnected with the investor in the
agricultural
(or other) project. Alternatively, the rights of sale of
the
logs would be vested in the Government, not the conversion
company.
Said
Sir Mekere: "This will help eliminate the practise by certain
unscrupulous
operators aimed at getting around forestry laws by
creating
so-called agricultural projects, which in reality are nothing
more
than logging operations."
He said
the planned legislative amendment in relation to conversions
would
close the current "loophole provided by inappropriate Timber
Authorities".
Sir
Mekere said other important changes will be made to the Timber
Permit
system, including the drafting of amendments to the Forestry
Act to
cover geographical extensions to Timber Permits.
"This
has been an area of great concern to the Government and
landowners
and the changes will make the system much tighter," he
said.
"Extensions
must consist of very small additions that border the
current
Timber Permit. They would not be permitted to cover extensive
new
resources. Further conditions preventing multiple extensions would
also
apply," Sir Mekere said.
On the
composition of the National Forest Board, Sir Mekere said a
representative
of the PNG Chamber of Commerce and Industry would be
appointed
in place of the FIA.
The
chamber representative would not be allowed to be a principal or
employee
of a foreign-owned or controlled timber company or
contractor,
he added.
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