Forest Projects
Papua New Guinea is home to part of the third largest contiguous rainforest left on earth - a forest that is now increasingly valued for its carbon storage and sequestration.
PNG, as part of the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, has been pushing for international recognition of the role its forests could play in climate change mitigation at the same time as allocating ever larger areas of forest for unsustainable logging and clear-felling.
Fraudulent agro-forestry projects are being used as the vehicle for a massive land grab in Papua New Guinea.
Since 2004 the number of large scale agro forestry projects being approved has vastly increased; reaching a total of 5.2 million hectares by April 2010.
In most cases these projects are not bona-fida agriculture projects, but an attempt to access large areas of rainforest for logging without having to comply with the provisions of the Forestry Act.
Malaysian transnational company Rimbunan Hijau (RH) is believed to control the majority of logging operations in PNG.
The company has attracted considerable controversy over allegations of unsustainable logging practices, illegal logging, environmental and human rights abuses and corruption.
PNG has a number of oil palm plantations spread across several Provinces including West New Britain, Milne Bay and Northern (Oro).
In February 2010 Cargills sold its three PNG oil palm operations to PNGs largest oil palm company, New Britain Palm Oil Limited for US$175 million. NBPOL is controlled by Malaysian State owned enterprise, Kulim.
