During the Parliament session on 24th of November, Oro Governor Gary Juffa read the petition as given by the Civil Societies of PNG in reference to the severe logging issues and related challenges faced in the country.
Governor Juffa read issues raised ranging from questionable resource, concession allocations, illegally issued special agricultural business leases and forest clearing authorities. The lack of free prior and informed consent requirements to illegal logging, tax evasion and human rights abusers.
He told the Speaker that the issues relating to logging and the like have collectively driven the environmental destruction, natural resource and biodiversity loss and have led to huge social economic losses for the rural communities.
“They are threatening the country’s long term development and sustainability in the use of our collective forest resources. The PNG Forest Authority and the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, as the state agencies responsible for safeguarding our forest resources have proven over and over again that they are unable to ensure our laws and regulations are properly implemented,” said Governor Juffa.
He said this situation was of concern in relation to SABL’s, FCA’s and timber authorities, as through these instruments large forest areas are lost forever, an example would be the endemic and endangered species like the Birdwing butterfly in Oro and the Tenkile tree kangaroo in West Sepik.
The government have asked the world to acknowledge the important global role of our forests, as it is instrumental in mitigating climate change in seeking substantial finance for its conservation and sustainable management. This will compensate for revenue loss from unsustainable practices and ensure the custodians of our forests are customary land owning communities.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and the world is well aware of the problems we face as a nation in the protection and safeguarding of our forests. The commitments made by our government at COP26 and in other venues and agreements will be empty promises if they are not followed by timely decisive action on the major problems we have in our forest sector,” added Governor Juffa.
He stressed that if these problems were not dealt with now, there will be little forest resources left to base a sustainable downstream processing industry on, or to generate carbon credits and any other payments for ecosystem services.
“Your petition is there by humbly prey, that point 4 of the NEC decision 184 of 2014 to revoke all SABL’s as recommended by the commission of inquiry reports, which stated that they were not even valid in the first place, be actioned without any further delay,” said Juffa.
The other petition points read were:
- That the findings of the ministerial committee into the unreported SABL’s be tabled and its recommendations actioned without any further delay.
- That all log exports from timber authorities or TA’s, which are illegal anyway, are stopped with immediate effect, and that a moratorium on new FCA’s is put in place with immediate effect.
- That existing FCA’s are investigated by an independent review committee and that any FCA found to be illegal, be nullified.
- That the party of parties found to be responsible for the illegal issuance of SABL’s and FCA’s are made responsible to compensate for any social, environmental and economic losses incurred and the cost of restoration of the area involved.
- That the PNGFA and CEPA be required to appear before a parliamentary committee to explain whether or how they approved logging in the proposed Torricelli Mountain Range Conservation area, a well-publicized internationally acclaimed conservation area.
Governor Juffa, then presented the petition to the Speaker on behalf of the petitioners listed as the known and relevant civil society organizations in the country.