Picture: Oro Governor, Gary Juffa

Article Source: Post Courier

Large scale logging in the country has done more damage than good in the rural areas, those affected are often suppressed and threatend by foreign loggers using local police to thier benefit, Oro Governor Gary Juffa said yesterday.

"Logging in our forest indeustry has been nothing but disasater for the affected local communities and a great loss to the entire country," Mr Juffa said. "This is a sad fact we have all come to accept. The only winners in the entire logging industry are the foreign loggers, who continue to exploit our people, destroy their livelihood and rob them of their heritage."

Given the status quo, the national Government has rightly issues a suspension on all new logging operations in the country to encourage downstream processing. While this was done with the right intentions, Mr. Juffa said those who have current logging licenses continue their merciless slash throughout the country, including Ioma Forest Resource areas 1 & 2 and 3 in Oro province.

"In fact the loggers are even going so far to operate at night with floodlights. The loggers are even enroaching on traditional land with absolutely no consideration for the landwoners or thier rights and resources. this is blantant theft and it is totally uncaceptable," he said.

Mr Juffa said after more than 22 years of logging operation in the area, there is no single evidence of development, from Sowara up to the Waria and Wuwu plains, to Bovera, Eiya and into Gira areas. This statement is confirmed by a recent preliminary investigation report produced by a professional scaler for the Oro Provincial Government. The report details environmental destruction caused by the logging operations and the negative impact on the livelihood of the people.

The report also revealed log wastage, damages caused by machines, indiscriminate use of machinery and clear felling of tress, logging within very close proximity to villages, gardens streams and rivers. The lack of hygiene, proper sanitation and pollution caused by the logging company and its workes and lack of workers safety and protection is also a major issue, he said. Mr Juffa said he was informed there were armed police personel paid by the logging company to harass and intimidate the land-owners and villagers. "I call upon the Police Minister and the Commissioner of Police to take immediate actions to remove the police personnel there and take disciplinary action against the individual police personnel of threatening and intimidating villagers in the areas," he said.