Model of Development

PNG's rainforest in danger; illegal logging crisis fuel human rights abuses and threaten biodiversity

Papua New Guinea’s rainforests in danger; illegal logging crises fuel human rights abuses and threaten biodiversity

Raggian Bird-of-Paradise in Varirata Park, PNG

Shimali Chauhan | Down to Earth 

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Bewani clans seek palm oil probe

PHOTO: This area in Bewani, north-west PNG, was logged under a Special Agricultural Business Lease. (ABC: Eric Tlozek)

Reprinted from The National, 17 October 2024

WE, the landowners of Portion 199 of Bewani in Vanimo-Green, West Sepik, want the provincial and national authorities to investigate what we see as illegal land-grabbing by a palm oil developer.

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Prime Minster must act to stop widespread illegal logging

Prime Minister James Marape has spoken of the importance of preserving Papua New Guinea’s tropical rainforest in a meeting with the United Nations General Secretary and in his address to the UN General Assembly last Friday 

Yet, community advocacy group ACT NOW says his government is doing nothing to stop widespread illegal logging and in particular the abuse of agricultural clearing licences.

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Appalling lack of transparency as majority of Districts fail to submit financial acquittals

While the government has been dramatically increasing the amount of funding pumped directly into each District, there is an appalling lack of transparency about how those public funds are being used.

As of July 2024, analysis of media reporting by community advocacy group ACT NOW reveals just 24 out of 96 Districts have lodged their financial acquittals for 2022 or 2023 and none of those acquittals are publicly available. This is despite each District now being given K20 million a year in service and infrastructure improvement grants.

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PNG leaders struggle to monitor deep-sea mining activities

PSB News Hour, 19 Sept 2024

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Locals concerned over deep-sea mining’s impact

PBS News Hour - 18 Sept 2024

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Central Cement Project threatening lives and livelihoods

Video: 'No Limestone' is the chant as young people protest against the proposed commercial limestone and cement project on their island.

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Lack of District Plans Undermining Quality of Local Health and Education Services

A lack of proper planning at the District level is a critical failure that is undermining the delivery of quality health and education services across Papua New Guinea.

Research by community advocacy organization ACT NOW has revealed that two-years on from the last national election, just one quarter or 25% of Districts have published a five-year development plan for 2023-27.

“Good planning is essential for the delivery of quality services,” says ACT NOW Information Coordinator Cathy Tukne.

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Another classic FCA abuse: The Woodlark Island logging scandal

Three recent case studies published by ACT NOW, Ten Years Without A CropA New Forest Grab, and Where is the Beef? illustrate how logging companies use false or inflated claims of agriculture planting to obtain Forest Clearing Authorities which are then used as c

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Research Case Studies Reveals Abuse of Forest Clearing Authority License

A Forest Clearance Authority license is a type of logging licence issued by Papua New Guinea Forest Authority, based on the recommendation of the PNG Forest Management Committee with the consent of the National Forest Board that allows individuals or companies for large scale conversion of a specific areas of forest to agriculture or other land use activities.

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