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“Any move to address the issue of carbon emissions from deforestation is a welcome one but needs to take into account ongoing poor logging practices, corruption, and the exploitation of forest communities in PNG,” Greenpeace forest campaigner Dorothy Tekwie said. “PNG’s record on deforestation is terrible and the rates of illegal and destructive logging in that country are shocking.”
The World Bank has put the figure of illegal logging in PNG as high as 80 per cent , while an International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) in May 2006, found problems with forest management in PNG concluding: “Forest management is reduced to monitoring logging operations at the expense of overall Sustainable Forest Management.” .
“PNG has been keen to sell its forests for carbon credits under the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC) but at the same time allow illegal and destructive industrial logging to continue,” Ms Tekwie said. “The Australian government should be extremely careful about supporting the direction of funds to the PNG government unless there are serious changes to PNG’s forestry practices.”
Illegal and destructive logging in PNG is creating social and environmental problems for many forest communities. Landowners receive little of the money made from forestry and many of them report intimidation and abuse from logging companies.
“Any mechanism in which PNG receives money from avoided deforestation needs to ensure that landowners are consulted and that any financial benefit as a result of protecting their forests goes to them,” Ms Tekwie said.
At the UNFCCC meeting in Bali in December last year the PNG head of delegation, Wari Iamo, stated that PNG would use a similar arrangement to distribute money from carbon financing as is currently used to distribute royalties from logging. Many forest communities feel that this system is currently not working.
Australia also needs to do more to stop forest destruction in our region by introducing strong legislation that will stop illegal and destructively logged timber from entering the country. Australia currently imports up to $400 million dollars of illegally logged timber annually .
Deforestation is responsible for up to 20 per cent of all carbon emissions annually.
The World Bank has put the figure of illegal logging in PNG as high as 80 per cent , while an International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) in May 2006, found problems with forest management in PNG concluding: “Forest management is reduced to monitoring logging operations at the expense of overall Sustainable Forest Management.” .
“PNG has been keen to sell its forests for carbon credits under the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC) but at the same time allow illegal and destructive industrial logging to continue,” Ms Tekwie said. “The Australian government should be extremely careful about supporting the direction of funds to the PNG government unless there are serious changes to PNG’s forestry practices.”
Illegal and destructive logging in PNG is creating social and environmental problems for many forest communities. Landowners receive little of the money made from forestry and many of them report intimidation and abuse from logging companies.
“Any mechanism in which PNG receives money from avoided deforestation needs to ensure that landowners are consulted and that any financial benefit as a result of protecting their forests goes to them,” Ms Tekwie said.
At the UNFCCC meeting in Bali in December last year the PNG head of delegation, Wari Iamo, stated that PNG would use a similar arrangement to distribute money from carbon financing as is currently used to distribute royalties from logging. Many forest communities feel that this system is currently not working.
Australia also needs to do more to stop forest destruction in our region by introducing strong legislation that will stop illegal and destructively logged timber from entering the country. Australia currently imports up to $400 million dollars of illegally logged timber annually .
Deforestation is responsible for up to 20 per cent of all carbon emissions annually.
For further information or comment
Tiy Chung, Greenpeace Asia Pacific Forest Communications Officer, 0409 604 010
