From Chatham House UK

Illegal logging remains a huge problem in Papua New Guinea according to new research published by the Chatham House research centre in the UK.

The research on PNG is part of six new country studies released today. 

In this latest research, undertaken in 2012-13, the six countries assessed were: Papua New Guinea; the Democratic Republic of Congo; Republic of Congo; India; South Korea; and Thailand.



The latest findings are published in four new reports, as part of the 'Indicators of Illegal Logging and Related Trade' project. This project, which began in 2006, measures the nature and extent of illegal logging and the associated trade in illegally sourced timber, and the effectiveness of the response by both the government and the private sector in a number of producer, processing and consumer countries.



Four country-focused reports have been produced, outlined below, as well as a methodology paper describing the method used for assessing the amounts of illegal timber and wood products being imported by consumer and processing countries.

• In Papua New Guinea at least 70% of logging is likely to be illegal. Although the legal framework is relatively strong, it is not being effectively enforced. There is also a severe lack of transparency of information in the sector.
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo it is estimated that 90% of logging is illegal, this reflecting the poor governance in the country. Negotiations for a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) are underway, but significant progress is needed in developing a comprehensive regulatory framework, improving transparency, and establishing effective enforcement.
• In the Republic of Congo an estimated 70% of logging is illegal. There have been improvements to the regulatory and legislative framework in recent years, but the country continues to face significant problems with law enforcement and corruption.
• Thailand, South Korea and India are among the principal importers of illegally sourced timber and wood products. It is estimated that 18%, 13% and 17% of imports to Thailand, South Korea and India respectively are of illegal origin. There is growing awareness of the issue in these countries, and Thailand has launched formal negotiations with the EU for a VPA.