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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY

Papua New Guinea NGOs Slam Government Over Logging Moratorium

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TAKE ACTION to Support PNG Conservationists:

http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm

12/09/01

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Forests.org

The voice of Papua New Guineans working for meaningful forest

conservation that includes ecologically rigorous community based

forest management and protection is not being heard. Many Papua New

Guinea NGOs have participated in good faith in the World Bank and

Australian government sponsored review of proposed timber projects in

Papua New Guinea (PNG). NGOs in the country, especially those

working to promote the eco-forestry concept of community based

ecologically sustainable forest management, have responded positively

and responsibly to recent efforts to introduce reforms in the

forestry sector. After years of efforts, most of the review's

findings and NGO recommendations are being ignored. The moratorium

on logging is being allowed to lapse and business as usual overly

intensive and highly environmentally damaging industrial forestry

allowed to recommence. The World Bank refuses to hold the PNG

government to its loan commitments and is releasing the final loan

payment. Additionally, the Bank has turned its back on financing

policy-making for forest conservation practices other than industrial

log export. Below the Director of the PNG Eco-Forestry Forum notes

in a press release that NGO submissions have fallen on deaf ears.

The government of PNG, World Bank and Australia are guilty of

frittering away the opportunity offered by the moratorium. They have

failed to identify and begin to pursue policy that allows PNG forests

to be widely protected and managed in a manner that meaningfully

contributes to community and national development. Rather, since the

moratorium went into effect and the Structural Adjustment loan was

announced, binding forest conservation agreements have continually

been willfully violated. The loan conditionality clearly called for

review of all logging operations - planned and current - yet only new

projects were reviewed. During the period of the moratorium, new

logging operations commenced illegally. The Forest Authority

continued to breach the Forestry Act and approved and issued logging

licenses. Landowners in Western province have lodged an Inspection

Panel grievance with the World Bank. Their claims are valid and just

- their forests have been stolen while their government was

contractually bound to the World Bank to stop such actions.

Failure of the World Bank to end lending in such a situation, and an

unwillingness to honor their commitment to PNG forest conservation,

must be protested. The World Bank likes to highlight their PNG

rainforest program as a model to be followed elsewhere. Help ensure

that subsidies for industrial logging, years of studies that only

gather dust, and broken promises to promote ecologically based forest

management and protection do not become the global norm. Please

voice your concerns at http://forests.org/emailaction/png.htm .

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Press Release

Source: Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum

Date: November 22, 2001

CHAIRMAN OF THE Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum, Sasa Zibe Kokino

has expressed great disappointment at Prime Minister Sir Mekere

Morauta's recent decision to lift the current forestry moratorium.

Mr Kokino said the government has failed to consider the NGOs

submission to introduce reform measures in the forestry sector, as a

result of the Review Team findings.

Instead, Mr Kokino said it was obvious that the Prime Minister was

more worried about rectifying his cash flow problem.

"I am very disappointed. All our submissions, involving the findings

of the Review team have fallen on deaf ears.

The prime minister has simply allowed logging to resume as before. It

has not given itself enough time to vigorously look as the

recommendations and especially our submissions.

It is the people of this country, the forest resource owners who are

the real losers as logging companies will just pick up from where

they left off in plundering the last remaining resources that they

own and that we, as a nation, are proud to have.

This is pathetic and very disappointing. The prime Minister did not

take note of our submission and he is only worried about rectifying

his cash flow problems," he said.

"By allowing logging to resume, without seriously and vigorously

looking at our submissions, the government is setting a precedent for

other resource industries in the country which are also already under

threat from corrupt and unsustainable practises, "he said.

Mr Kokino urged the Government to seriously look at the NGO

submissions again and try to adopt some of the recommendations before

lifting the moratorium at the end of this month.

He said the NGO submissions required a lot of research by a host of

individuals and groups concerned for the preservation and

sustainability of the country's remaining resources.

Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta announced last week that the

forestry moratorium on new concessions would be lifted at the end of

this month, adding four advance projects can be progressed by the

Forest Authority to become Forest Management Agreement, and that a

further six might be able to comply subjected to "certain

considerations"

This followed Cabinet's acceptance of a recommendation from the

Independent Review of proposed projects which said the four advanced

projects required remedial actions.

The Government has announced it will implement nine reforms, however,

Mr Kokino said none of the reforms which have been adopted by the

government, were taken from the NGO submissions.

Sir Mekere imposed the moratorium in 1999 after admitting that the

Forest industry in Papua New Guinea was in a total mess, adding

stringent measures should be taken to rectify the problem and promote

more sustainable practises.

However, Mr Kokino said none of the reforms adopted for

implementation by the government, will promote sustainability. He

added that while he applauds the government for being serious about

getting resource owners to be involved, he said this alone would not

be enough to promote the eco-forestry concept and sustainability.

"Does he mean that resource owners will have the opportunity to

decide what is best for their resources, because that is not what is

happening today," he said.

Mr Kokino also refuted the Review Team findings that only a very

small number of projects over the past ten years were processed

without proper procedures and further that the Forest Authority was

not involved.

"This is incorrect. Even over the period of the moratorium, the

Forest Authority continued to breach the Forestry Act and approved

and issued logging licenses. This has been indicated through the

Pondo and Tuwapu issues," he said.

Mr Kokino alleged further that even before the moratorium has been

lifted, a ship loaded with an unspecified amount of logs has left

Pondo in the last couple of days.

The moratorium came about after years of campaigning by NGOs,

researchers, scientists, environmentalists, community groups and

individuals.

Mr Kokino said yesterday that NGOs in the country, especially those

under the umbrella of the forum who are involved in promoting the

eco-forestry concept, have responded positively and responsibly to

recent efforts to introduce reforms in the forestry sector.

"NGO's studied and analysed the Observations and Recommendations

report compiled by the independent Forestry Review Team and presented

a number of detailed and carefully researched submissions and reports

to the Government but all of these have obviously fallen on deaf

ears," he said.

He said the Review Team reports confirmed many of the concerns that

have been repeatedly raised by NGOs about the work of the forestry

authorities and the industry as a whole.

Sasa Zibe Kokino

Chairman

Eco-Forestry Forum

The Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum supports integrated rural

community development and sustainable resource use through a viable

and sustainable eco-forestry industry

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

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