Comments for Forestry & Development

Comment on Studies identify biodiversity in selectively logged forests by Sugel

Sugel — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:40:00 +0000

But to be effective, parks must be maintained. Finding the political will and funding to do so will remain a challenge, say the authors. “A growing number of reserves are being degraded, downsized, if not entirely degazetted, so holding on to the last remaining large tracts of primary forests within existing reserves will be a crucial part of the conservation mission this century”, said co-author Carlos Peres of the University of East Anglia. “Improving mechanisms for delivering and sustaining the social, financial and technical support necessary to achieve such goals continues to present one of the greatest challenges to tropical biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century,” the authors conclude. ‘Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity’ by Luke Gibson, Tien Ming Lee, Lian Pin Koh, Barry W. Brook, Toby A. Gardner, Jos Barlow, Carlos A. Peres, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, William F. Laurance, Thomas E. Lovejoy & Navjot S. Sodhi was published online on 14 September 2011 in Nature and is available at http://www.nature.com/nature (doi: 10.1038/nature10425).

Comment on Greenpeace is losing credibility by BreetadeemY

BreetadeemY — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:52:36 +0000

My dad has been writing a study manual precisely on point with this blog, I have emailed the web page over to him so he could pick up a couple pointers. Great Job thank you!

Comment on Facts, fiction and SABLs by Albert Kerut, Wabo Village, Pawaia.

Albert Kerut, Wabo Village, Pawaia. — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:26:39 +0000

By reading some comments made by others, I believe people do not really understand what the underlaying problems are here in PNG regarding the issuance of SABL.In PNG customary land is owned by clans and not tribes and the clans are headed by leaders who inconsultantion with hes clan members decide what is to be done with thier land. In a tribe there may be say, 50 to 100 clans and they all speak the same language. I does not mean that one Association or company can go ahead and apply for the SABL through the lands Department. Unless all clan leaders sign the Incorporated Land Group (ILG) forms. What has been happening in the issuance of the SABL is incorrect, I say this because only one or few families form Associations and apply for the SABL, especially those living in the cities and towns without the approval of the Clan chairmen who are living back at rural village settings,so I support the NGO in this matter. There is now where in PNG one clan and or family has more than 500,000 hactres of customary land. The issue here is people who are aplying for the SABL are not consulting the land owner ILG’s, which is an attempt to steal the land and engage foreign companies mostly to do logging and make quick bucks in the name of agriculture and at the expense of mostly illiterate land owners. This was the case for Purari Developement Association headed by Roy Evara and the Iare Tribe families of Baimuru Gulf Province, of the recent issuance of the Baimuru -Karimui Formil 8 SABL. It is currently a court matter now. So the PNG Government concept is right but few greedy self centered individuals are miss using it for thier own gains.

Comment on Facts, fiction and SABLs by Peter Turner

Peter Turner — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:33:32 +0000

As a young Kiap in the early 1970′s, (and still resident) I observed the TP&NG Administration commit the country to a number of “developments” designed to increase commercial and employment opportunities.

These included the acquisition of Arawa Plantation, the implementation of oil palm block re-settlement schemes in West New Britain and Oro, establishment of a number of large scale Cattle Rancheros and a variety of other matters, including the promotion of some innovative Land Tenure legislation.

Whilst nearly every economic development in PNG has been followed by dislocation of some type, including the Oil Palm industry, where “ethnic cleansing” or the sometimes forcible encouragement of outsiders to ‘go home’ abandoning their blocks, has taken place. The same thing has occurred in Jiwaka with Simbu settlers being forced out of coffee blocks.

Given that social or heritage dislocation can be ameliorated, to a greater or lesser degree by economic benefits, as far as I can see, SABL’s have been productively utilized to date and the oil palm industry has been very good to a great many people.

Much as no one likes to see the illegal loggers eating up prime virgin forest, Oil Palm plantations are a damn good swap for almost limitless unproductive ‘giraun’, especially if you are from a remote area with very limited future.

The lesson that these ‘settlements’ must be relatively homogenous has been learned (to the cost of many Milne Bay settlers who were dispossessed by the “Oro for the Oros” campaign at Higaturu and the ‘seeing off ‘ off many Highlands families, from WNB.)

Land tenure in PNG will eventually resolve itself into a formal system of some kind, but in the mean time, “íf it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. SABL’s perform their job.

Certainly, watchdogs be vigilent for breaches, but productive Developers who do their homework and actively and equitably involve the Landowners (all of them, through detailed and legally correct codified law procedures, not simply Developer chosen ‘representatives’), deserve to be allowed to go about their legitimate business.

When I initiated the alienation of land from Traditional landowners in the 1970′s, it was a legal imperative that every single Landowner be identified and the vast majority consent to the purchase (Land under any kind of dispute could not be alienated) and then I had to certify that the Landowners could afford to part with the land and not be discomoded to any unreasonable extent. SABL’s must not cut corners and every Traditional Owner must be respected and their interests fostered.

Go to it Belden. Use the Enquiry into SABL’s to clear the air and promote sustainable agricultural development.

Peter Turner BEM LL.M

Comment on NGOs PREPARING TO FIGHT PNG’s SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL & BUSINESS LEASES by deb chapman

deb chapman — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:49:29 +0000

There is a very different interpretation of this situation if there is an alternative economic model promoted in PNG. I think that land in PNG, owned and controlled locally, supports amazing sustainable development, providing food and shelter for most of its inhabitants. the idea that it can be enlisted to contribute to “more productive economic activity”, under the current models of cost and benefit in large scale economic development, with the benefits being concentrated in the hands of too few (social stratification and inequitable distribution of the current proceeds of large scale dev have done most PNGeans no favours) is disingenuous to say the least. the ngo sector with a reasonable level of analysis are NOT anti development, they are just not for the current development models which have existed in the country since independence. more money is not the problem, different forms of raising and using and being accountable for that money is what seems to be needed. truly, you think more of this kind of development will improve things for most PNGeans?

Comment on NGOs PREPARING TO FIGHT PNG’s SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL & BUSINESS LEASES by Dennis Driscoll

Dennis Driscoll — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:29:11 +0000

As an ex temporary resident in PNG (several times over several years) and someone who considers himself a friend of the country – who is now resident in Liberia, may I make a few comments. It is about time that NGOs that operate and are resident in less developed countries are required to abide by the same work permit regulations, the same income tax regulations, and the same control of foreign workers regulations that the commercial organisations they are so quick to criticise are required to observe.

Comment on Kamula Doso Carbon Deal Terminated by Kirk Roberts

Kirk Roberts — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:31:12 +0000

The Kamula Doso directors(Tumu Timbers) in Port Moresby have borrowed exceptional amounts of money from logging companies and other individuals at a incredible interest.
The actions of these few are not in the best interests of the Kamula Doso people of the project areas.
Kamula Doso is contracted to Carbon Trade , the several contracts that have been agreed and signed by ‘every ILG of the project area’ have been lawfully designed to protect the people and the project , being the Power of Attorney I inforce that protection to the people and the project.
The hinderance of the final completion of VCS Nupan projects has been purely political in PNG and Internationally and a negative attitude from the international community for forest protection in general , because of the uncertainty and poor organisation of the UNFCCC framework discussions and simply countries and emitters responsibilities.
The Kamula Doso project has a completed Methodology and Project Design Documents for the CCBA and VCS standards,which have been originated by Nupan as a template for Nupan projects in PNG , I suppose that’s worth bragging about.
consultant88@gmail.com
http://www.carbonowontok.org

Comment on Forest certification and risk management: FSC certification poses risk to business by Maarten

Maarten — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:49:32 +0000

You can hardly call this an objective study, clear that they want to promote the PEFC. Have a look at the about us page: ‘ITS Global is listed as a consultant with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) Council’. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

I think that says enough about the importance and objectivity of this study…

Comment on Forest certification and risk management: FSC certification poses risk to business by Roger G. Nesdoly

Roger G. Nesdoly — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:08:39 +0000

Finally, someone tells it like it ‘is’. FSC is not about long term sustainability, it is about NGO environmentally agendas!

Comment on WWF push FSC further into PNG by Forestry and Development

Forestry and Development — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:40:25 +0000

News item from 18 June 2009:

Eco-Forestry – not quite paying the bills

A new report by the Japan-based environmental think-tank the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) has confirmed that the eco-forestry model in Papua New Guinea is not economically viable.

Eco-forestry is the small-scale, community-level model of forestry espoused by a number of NGOs and Greener-leaning development agencies.

The report surveyed nine community-based forestry operations in PNG that receive financial assistance from FORCERT, a not-for-profit business backed by WWF and Greenpeace. The report attempted to provide an economic impact assessment of the eco-forestry operations. However, it concluded that “providing a quantitative estimate of the relative importance of forestry to household income was not possible” because “income flows were inconsistent”.

One example of the inconsistent income flows included a case where just two of eighteen weeks’ wages were paid because timber harvested was sold into local markets at a sub-optimal price.

The report notes that casual eco-forestry workers were paid between 0.75 and 1.50 kina per hour – lower wages than Greenpeace took Rimbunan Hijau to task for paying its employees in their 2008 campaign against the company.

The report also notes that “because of long periods of non production, actual household income from eco-forestry is well below potential income from a continuous logging operation”.