PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA)

PNG’s forestry sector tops discussion

Led by the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) with the support of Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) REDD+ Readiness project, the discussions centered on how best to achieve Government’s ambitious target, to ban all round log exports and increase downstream processing by 2020, supported by the expansion of plantation forests covering 800,000ha by 2050.

Stop badmouthing my ministry: Tomuriesa

The Minster said this during a ceremony commemorating International Day of Forests yesterday (March 21).

Tomuriesa said conserving the country’s forests was everyone’s responsibility.

He said for too long, critics have been bad mouthing the Ministry and PNGFA that millions of hectares of the country’s forests were being destroyed, which is not true.

“And my challenge to them (critics) is stop this nonsense, get on a plane and fly down to Milne Bay. Stop this nonsense and fly into Western Province, Gulf Province and Hela… the forest is still there,” he said.

UNFF to provide further assistance to PNG

UNFF sustainable development officer, Benjamin Singer, told Loop PNG that UNFF’s collaboration with the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) is stretched over the whole of this year.

This follows a successful week-long capacity building workshop held recently in Port Moresby on project design in sustainable forest management in PNG.

At the end of the workshop, government officers were able to identify and formulate a project proposal that can be submitted to donor partners to consider and fund.

REDD+ workshop underway in Port Moresby

The workshop is facilitated by the Climate Change Development Authority in partnership with United Nations-REDD Programme, PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

This is the final validated workshop which aims to present the results on PNG's FRL assessment and documentation of its overall submission content, to be validated by all relevant stakeholders.

Participants include non-government organisations, universities and research institutions, community leaders, private sectors and development partners.