Civil society organisations and community representatives have gathered in Port Moresby to demand government action on the widespread abuse of Forest Clearing Authorities (FCA).
"FCA permits issued under the Forestry Act are a vehicle being used to facilitate massive clear-felling of large tracts of tropical hardwood timber species by foreign owned logging companies. Allegations of routine ignorance of our forestry laws and the lack of free prior informed consent by forest communities has become a major concern,” says Evelyn Katu Wohuinangu, a lawyer with the Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights.
“In most cases, the large-scale agricultural activity which is supposed to be established is never implemented or if it is, it is not economically viable and does not benefit the customary resource owners,” says Mrs. Wohuinangu.
Paul Barker from the Institute of National Affairs, says the abuse of FCAs has been ongoing since the mechanism was introduced, sidestepping due process for forest management through proper resource planning, landowner consent and use of FMAs, and there needs to be action by multiple different agencies to stop the ongoing abuse.
“The government must order an independent and transparent public inquiry into the legality of these FCA licences, which have continued to be rolled out, even after the SABL process was halted; the Forest Board should impose a moratorium on issuing any new licences and the fraud squad, or ICAC should investigate some of the more questionable FCA applications,” says Mr Barker.
Sem Vegogo from Wanigela in Oro Province says his community was devastated to learn a foreign logging company has been given permission to log their forests without informing his people or obtaining their consent.
“The people of Collingwood Bay have been fighting against illegal logging for decades. But despite numerous court victories we see the PNG Forest Authority continually siding with Asian companies to try and steal our forests”.
David Mitchell from Eco-Custodian Advocates in Alotau has made a detailed study of the Loani FCA logging project and says the company’s agriculture plans are fanciful.
“They are proposing a ten-fold increase in PNG’s balsa production but have not submitted any market analysis or costed business plans. They say they will establish 10,000 hectares of new cocoa planting but their own plans show most of the soils in the area are only marginally suitable and instead of clearing forest in the lowland areas that could be suitable for planting, they are building logging roads along the ridge lines”.
In summing up the situation, Ms. Pamela Avusi from the PNG Environmental Alliance says “PNG has already suffered from too many decades of illegal and unsustainable logging and timber harvesting. The government needs to call a halt to unsustainable logging if it wants to have any credibility on the international stage.”
“Taking decisive action to stop the illegal FCA forest grab will send a clear message that PNG is serious about a sustainable future, stopping corruption, defending human rights and protecting our rich biodiversity and promoting PNG Ways”.
The seminar participants are calling on:
The National Forest Board to impose a moratorium on new FCA licences until a full government inquiry has been conducted and any recommendations have been implemented and to publish the findings of the audit of FCA projects completed in 2023.
The Government to suspend all log exports from FCA areas until an independent, transparent and public inquiry into the legality of all existing FCA licences and logging operations has been completed and identified steps to rectify any abuses have been implemented. It should also ensure recommended legislative and policy reforms are implemented.
The Fraud squad, UNODC and Interpol to identify what criminal laws may have been broken in the submission and approval of fraudulent FCA applications and the removal of timber without the informed consent of forest owners.
Commercial banks to identify any customers linked to FCA logging operations and ensure full compliance with all AML regulations and bank ESR policies.
The diplomatic community and aid agencies to support the PNG government to implement a review of all existing FCA licences and implement the inquiry recommendations. Insist the PNGFA establish a public register as provided under S.103A of the Forestry Act.
Overseas timber buyers to ensure any unprocessed logs, sawn timber and timber products purchased from Papua New Guinea are independently verified as coming from a valid and legally approved and managed source.
DOWNLOAD CASE STUDIES ON THE ABUSE OF FCA LICENCES