THREE months ago Papua New Guinea鈥檚 environment minister called on rich countries to pay for his country not to cut down its rainforests, as part of an effort to curb global warming. Yet this week it emerged that the government鈥檚 own forest audits show politicians conniving in an epidemic of illegal logging.
Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the tropical island of New Guinea. About 80 per cent of the country is covered in forest, more than half of which is licensed for logging. The government claims there is no need to worry, since the logging operations are fully licensed. It also says forestry laws ensure 鈥渟ustainable鈥� operations, and that it has commissioned independent audits to check the logging activity.
However, Forest Trends, an industry research group based in Washington DC, says an inquiry into 63 recent government audits reveals that such promises are a sham. Its report, Logging, Legality and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea, published on Wednesday, says 鈥渢he overwhelming majority of commercial logging operations are illegal鈥�, with logging rates far in excess of any that could be sustainable. The authors blame corruption and say 鈥渇orest areas are effectively being logged out for short-term cash鈥�.
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