Papua New Guinea Forestry Authority

Last updated

The Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) was established in 1993 under the Forestry Act, 1991. It replaced the former Department of Forest and unified all the Provincial Forest Divisions and the Forest Industries Council. This restructuring was the result of the 1989 Barnett Commission of Inquiry into forestry in Papua New Guinea.

Contents

The mandate of the PNGFA is to “Promote the management and wise utilization of the forest resources of Papua New Guinea as a renewable asset for the well-being of present and future generations.” [1]

Background

The PNGFA is overseen by the National Forest Board, which advises the Minister for Forests and gives directions to the National Forest Service, the operational arm of the PNGFA. [2]

Since July 2010, the Minister for Forests has been Timothy Bonga and in 2007 Kanawi Pouru was appointed Managing Director of the National Forest Board.

Papua New Guinea has a total land area of 46.284 million hectares, of which an estimated 29.437million hectares is covered by forest. This land is home to an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 higher order plant species, of which over 2,000 are tree species and 400 may be currently utilised for harvesting, or other commercial uses, such as timber production or log exports. [3]

Of the forest land, 62,277 hectares is commercial forest plantations and PNGFA conducted a valuation of these plantations in 2005, with funding assistance from AusAID. The valuation found that the total estimated investment value of the PNGFA’s forest plantations is PGK123 million. [2]

An estimated 95 per cent of land in Papua New Guinea is owned and managed by customary landowners. Therefore, forest related operations, such as logging and reforestation, must be agreed upon in consultation between the PNGFA and the landowners.

The PNGFA is headquartered at Hohola in the National Capital District, with 19 provincial offices and over 386 permanent employees throughout the country. [2] The 2012 budget allocated to the PNGFA by the Department of Treasury is PGK11.8 million. [4]

Illegal logging

According to the PNGFA, the total log harvest of Papua New Guinea in 2006 was 3,389 million cubic metres. However, in August 2006, the World Bank estimated that illegal logging could account for as much as 70 per cent of logging in Papua New Guinea, which would fall well outside the official national log harvest figures. [5]

Since 2004, Greenpeace has mounted an aggressive campaign against illegal logging in Papua New Guinea, after publishing a report indicating that 90 per cent of logging could be illegal. [6]

It is alleged that in response Rimbunan Hijau, the largest logging company in Papua New Guinea, at the centre of Greenpeace’s accusations, commissioned ITS-Global to write a report attacking Greenpeace. [7]

During 2008 the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) helped to trial a new electronic tracking service at timber concessions in Papua New Guinea in a bid to restrict the levels of illegal timber trading in Papua New Guinea. Following this trial period, the government launched the two-year project, Enhancing Forest Law Enforcement in Papua New Guinea alongside the PNGFA. [8]

An ongoing Commission of Inquiry into Special Agricultural and Business Leases (SABL) has highlighted that despite the appointment of Pouru as Managing Director in 2007, the level of illegal logging has continued to grow in Papua New Guinea. [9]

Controversies

In 1989, an attempt was made[ by whom? ] to kill the Australian judge, Tos Barnett after his commission published findings of its inquiry into corruption in the Papua New Guinea forest industry. [10] As the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Barnett later went on to state that the “control of forestry operations was left to the decentralised, dismembered, disorganised and demoralised forestry service administrating the toothless and out-of-date Forestry Act.” [11]

In 2008, the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea quashed a decision to grant logging rights in the Kamula Doso forest area to Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau, after the company admitted that earlier logging rights, previously granted to it, had been illegally obtained. [12]

In 2010, the report submitted by the Auditor-General to the Public Accounts Committee on the PNGFA found that PGK100 million (US$41 million) in public funds allocated to the Forest Authority from 1999 to 2005 could not be accounted for. [13] The Auditor-General’s report reiterated substantive concerns about the failure of the PNGFA to maintain proper accounting. [14] In response to these reports, Timothy Bonga, the then Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee stated that “the whole functional system of the (Forest) Authority has collapsed”. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Economy of Papua New Guinea economy of the country

The economy of Papua New Guinea is largely underdeveloped. It is dominated by the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector and the minerals and energy extraction sector. The agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector accounts for most of the labour force of Papua New Guinea, while the minerals and energy extraction sector is responsible for most of the export earnings.

Illegal logging harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws

Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a protected area; the cutting down of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits.

Tan Sri Datuk Tiong Hiew KingPSM PGBK KBE is the Malaysian Chinese founder and chairman of the Rimbunan Hijau Group, a timber company founded in 1975. Its overseas timber operations in Papua New Guinea is the largest in that country. He also has interests in logging operations in Russia.

Vanimo Place in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea

Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea and of Vanimo-Green River District. It is located on a peninsula close to the border with Indonesia.

Rimbunan Hijau

Rimbunan Hijau is a Malaysian multinational logging corporation controlled by Malaysian businessman Tiong Hiew King. The company has operations in many countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Vanuatu, New Zealand and Russia.

Oil Search Limited is the largest oil and gas exploration and development company incorporated in Papua New Guinea, which operates all of Papua New Guinea's oilfields. Founded in 1929, it is now one of Papua New Guinea's largest companies, and in 2006 was responsible for 13% of Papua New Guinea's gross domestic product. It is publicly listed on the Port Moresby and Australian Stock Exchanges, and is included in the S&P/ASX 50. It has a market capitalization of around US$12 billion. A 17.6% interest in the company is held by the government of Papua New Guinea, and for 2006 gave the state PGK24 million (US$8 million) as its dividend. The company also operates areas in Yemen, Egypt, Libya, and the Kurdistan region of Iraq. In May 2014, Exxon Mobil Corporation shipped the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US$19 billion PNG LNG Project, in which Oil Search owns a 29% interest.

<i>The National</i> (Papua New Guinea) newspaper in Papua New Guinea

The National is a daily, English language newspaper published in Papua New Guinea. It is also published online. The paper is owned by Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau.

Deforestation in Laos

Deforestation in Laos is a major environmental concern, with Laos losing forest area to legal and illegal logging.

Deforestation by region

Rates and causes of deforestation vary from region to region around the world. In 2009, 2/3 of the world forests were in 10 top countries: 1) Russia, 2) Brazil, 3) Canada, 4) United States, 5) China, 6) Australia, 7) Congo, 8) Indonesia, 9) Peru and 10) India.

Deforestation in Indonesia

Deforestation in Indonesia involves the long-term loss of forests and foliage across much of the country; it has had massive environmental and social impacts. Indonesia is home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world and ranks third in number of species behind Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Deforestation in Papua New Guinea

Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive in recent decades and is continuing at an estimated rate of 1.4% of tropical forest being lost annually. Deforestation in Papua New Guinea is mainly a result of illegal logging, which contributed to 70-90% of all timber exports, one of the highest rates in the world. Illegal logging is linked to corruption, environmental issues and human rights concerns.

Peter Yama is a businessman and Papua New Guinean politician. He is the current governor for Madang Province. Previously he was Member of Parliament for Usino Bundi between 1994–1997 and 2002-2007. In 2003 he succeeded Peter O'Neill as the Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations under Prime Minister Michael Somare. Prior to this, he was appointed Minister for Transport and Works in 1996.

Francis Mulungu Potape was the Governor for Hela Province. He was appointed by the Hela Provincial Assembly after the death of the sitting governor, Anderson Agiru. Potape was Petroleum and Energy Minister of Papua New Guinea. He was first elected Member of Parliament for Komo-Margarima Open in 2008 and was appointed Minister of Petroleum and Energy in June 2011. His ministerial appointment was rescinded under the disbanding of the Michael Somare government in August 2011, but Potape was reinstated as Minister of Petroleum and Energy in December 2011, replacing then Minister, William Duma.

Corruption in Papua New Guinea

Corruption is rife in Papua New Guinea (PNG). According to The Economist, “PNG's governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a fully-fledged kleptocracy”.

The National Superannuation Fund (NASFUND) of Papua New Guinea (PNG) was established in May 2002, as the successor entity to the National Provident Fund (NPF). It is the largest private sector superannuation fund in PNG. In 2016, NASFUND reported net assets of PGK4.22 billion, representing a 28% growth on 2015.

Investigation Task Force Sweep was established in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on 12 August 2011, following a resolution by the National Executive Council (NEC). The initiative was spearheaded by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill as part of his well-publicised anti-corruption drive.

Papua New Guinea's Ministry of Finance is the department responsible for the "protection of public money" in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ministry aims to improve "the transparency and accountability of the accounting and financial reporting and their frameworks" in the country.

Yalu, Papua New Guinea Village in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

Yalu is a large village in Wampar Rural LLG, located in the Markham Valley of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It lies along the Highlands Highway 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) north-west of Lae, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southeast of Nadzab. The landscape is typically lowland rainforest.

Bryan Jared Kramer is a Papua New Guinea politician and Member of the 10th Parliament of Papua New Guinea. He is also a businessman and social media strategist known for his Facebook page, The Kramer Report. Formerly a member of the Pangu Party, he founded the Allegiance Party, of which he is the sole MP, in 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Auditor-General's Office (28 October 2011). "Report of the Auditor-General - 2010" (PDF). Auditor-General's Office Papua New Guinea.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 Papua New Guinea Forest Authority. "About Us". Papua New Guinea Forest Authority. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11.
  3. ↑ Papua New Guinea Forest Authority. "Portrait of Forests of PNG". Papua New Guinea Forest Authority.
  4. ↑ Department of Treasury of PNG (2012). "Budget 2012" (PDF). Department of Treasury of PNG.
  5. ↑ The World Bank (August 2006). "Strengthening Forest Law Enforcement and Governance" (PDF). The World Bank.
  6. ↑ A.W. (22 March 2012). "Cutting the head to save the crown". The Economist.
  7. ↑ Green Peace (11 August 2006). "Illegal logging debate heats up in Papua New Guinea". Green Peace.
  8. ↑ Papua New Guinea Forest Authority. "Enhancing Forest Law Enforcement in Papua New Guinea". Papua New Guinea Forest Authority.
  9. ↑ PNGExposed Blog (13 November 2011). "Is it time to label Kanawi Pouru as corrupt?". PNGExposed Blog.
  10. ↑ ROWAN CALLICK (26 December 2009). "PNG now gravely ill with the disease of corruption". The Australian.
  11. ↑ John Connell (1997). Papua New Guinea – The Struggle for Development. Routledge.
  12. ↑ The Rainforest Foundation UK (18 November 2008). "PNG Supreme Court Rules Rimbunan Hijau Logging Rights Illegal". The Rainforest Foundation UK. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  13. ↑ Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2010). "Good Leadership Report" (PDF). Pacific Islands Forum.
  14. 1 2 Rich Bowden (5 March 2010). "PNG: PM Tables 'Shudder in Awe' Corruption Probe". theangle.org. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.