Stopping Forest Crime

The forest industry in Papua New Guinea is beset with corruption, political interference, and widespread illegal practices including logging licences issued or extended in breach of the law, failure to obtain proper consent from traditional landowners, substantial breaches of harvesting regulations, and the abuse of forest clearance permits for commercial agricultural projects. The timber industry is assessed as being a high-risk sector for money laundering.

Papua New Guinea's forest are collectively owned by local people whose informed consent is essential before a logging project can be lawfully approved
The government has committed to ending round log export volumes by 2027, but its reduction targets are not being met