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Landowner Sakas Aonomo stands on a log stockpile at Wawai Guavi Block 3, Middle Fly, Western Province, PNG. His family is trying to stop the loggers.
Enlarge imageIndustrial logging companies cut down and export ancient forest timber in large scale operations. They plunder the forest and strip indigenous communities of their homes and food sources. They often pay no respect to national laws and customary rights by illegally logging, processing and exporting the timber around the world, including the European Union, Australia, Japan and China. Then they move on to the next area to continue the destruction.
Who owns the forest?
Almost all Papua New Guinea’s land is owned by indigenous communities but logging companies still destroy the forest at record rates. Logging companies have already acquired 70% of Papua New Guinea’s available forest resources. The government is planning to continue handing out logging concessions.
The most destructive company operating in the area is Malaysian logging giant, Rimbunan Hijau, responsible for nearly half of all logs that leave the country. In its insatiable drive to profit from destroying the forest, Rimbunan Hijau continues to break the forestry laws. It fraudulently gains concessions to log forest areas, breaches environmental regulations and commits human rights abuses. Yet the company appears to be protected by political support and its forest crimes go unchecked.
