Image: Part of a Public Notice published in the Post Courier newspaper by the PNG Forest Authority on 29 November, 2024.
The PNG Forest Authority has recently confirmed a moratorium on issuing new Forest Clearing Authority licences is still in force while it completes its audit of existing FCA projects.
The moratorium on new FCA licences was first announced in February 2023 and was expected to last 12-months.
The ban has been prompted by widespread concerns that FCA licences are being unlawful used to allow large-scale logging projects rather than the clearance of discrete areas of forest for agriculture planting.
FCA logging operations currently account for over one third of all log exports from PNG.
In November this year, ACT NOW hosted a public seminar where civil society and landowner representatives highlighted examples of the abuse of FCA licences.
These abuses include failing to obtain the consent of local people to the logging of their forests, failure to present credible agriculture plans, a failure to establish promised agriculture projects, and conducting large-scale selective logging operations in breach of licence conditions.
ACT NOW has published four case-study reports that detail how FCA licences are being abused to allow illegal large-scale logging in different Provinces across the country.
The PNGFA has so far failed to respond to the allegations in the reports or to release any details about its ongoing audits into the FCA projects.
The abuse of FCA licences is just one example of the wider problem of illegal and unsustainable logging in PNG which pervades the whole industry.
The failure of key government agencies to control illegal logging and the financial flows it generates has led to concerns that PNG could be grey listed by the international financial community, a sanction that could severely impact the whole PNG economy.
To find out more download these reports:
Loani Forest Clearance: Another Bogus Agriculture Project?
Where’s the Beef? The Wasu ‘Cattle Farm’ Project
Risk Alert - Giant Kingdom Group and its Logging Operations
A New Forest Grab: The Mengen Integrated Agriculture Project
Ten Years Without a Crop: The Wammy Rural Development Project
Timber Legality Risk Assessment 2023
Disclaimer: The inclusion of the referenced reports in this blog is for informational purposes only. The content aims to promote transparency and dialogue on matters of public interest. All findings and allegations in the referenced materials are based on information publicly available at the time of publication. We welcome comments on the findings in the referenced reports from relevant parties.
