Blogs

Prime Minister must act to stop widespread illegal logging

Submitted by Eddie Tanago on Wed, 02/10/2024 - 11:29

Prime Minister James Marape has spoken of the importance of preserving Papua New Guinea’s tropical rainforest in a meeting with the United Nations General Secretary and in his address to the UN General Assembly last Friday

Yet, his government is doing nothing to stop widespread illegal logging and in particular the abuse of agricultural clearing licences.

Marape has described PNG’s rainforests as vital to PNG and to the global community, yet PNG is the world’s largest exporter of tropical logs and most of the logging is illegal and unsustainable.

Appalling lack of transparency as majority of Districts fail to submit financial acquittals

Submitted by ACTNOW on Tue, 24/09/2024 - 11:31

While the government has been dramatically increasing the amount of funding pumped directly into each District, there is an appalling lack of transparency about how those public funds are being used.

PNG leaders struggle to monitor deep-sea mining activities

Submitted by ACTNOW on Mon, 23/09/2024 - 06:22

PSB News Hour, 19 Sept 2024

Locals concerned over deep-sea mining’s impact

Submitted by ACTNOW on Thu, 19/09/2024 - 13:13

PBS News Hour - 18 Sept 2024

Laundering of tropical timber: Time to investigate forestry officials

Submitted by ACTNOW on Wed, 18/09/2024 - 09:18

Anti-money laundering laws don't just apply to the financial proceeds of crime; the laws apply equally to any property that is generated through criminal behaviour, including illegally felled timber.

Loani FCA logging another bogus agriculture project?

Submitted by ACTNOW on Wed, 21/08/2024 - 09:27

A new logging operation in Milne Bay Province could be yet another example of a bogus agriculture project being used as cover for a large-scale forest grab.

The new logging operation began on Sideia Island earlier this year as part of the Loani Bwanabwana Integrated Agro-Forestry Project.

Operated by a Malaysian logging company with no previous agriculture experience, the project is promising 36,700 hectares of new agriculture planting, including balsa, cocoa, vanilla and rice.

Logging on Sideia: Absolutely no political will

Submitted by ACTNOW on Thu, 01/08/2024 - 17:41

David Mitchel / Eco Custodian Advocates

The idea of a tropical log export ban in PNG started in the 1990s with fifteen specific timber species.

Again in 2010 the Forest Minister Nama indicated that round logs exports to cease, in 2018 the then Prime Minister, O’Neil said no round log export by 2020, which PM Marape reiterated in 2019 and yet another Forest Minster Tomuriesa in 2020 said a ban on round log export by 2025.

Now in 2024 PNG is the greatest tropical round log exporter in the world with Malaysia’s exports decreasing, now second.

Nogat Distrik Plen – Nogat gutpela Gavman sevises

Submitted by ACTNOW on Tue, 30/07/2024 - 09:12

ACT NOW! i raitim na Wantok Niuspepa i pablisim lo Tok Pisin 25th Julai 2024

Long taim i no gat gutpela plen long Distrik level, bai i no gat kwaliti helt na edukesen sevis long Papua Niugini.

Risets bilong ACT NOW i soim olsem tupela yia bihain long las nesenel ileksen, wanpela kwata tasol o 25 % bilong ol Distrik i tokaut long faiv-yia divelopmen plen bilong 2023 – 2027.

Ol Distrik Divelopmen Plen 2023 -2027

Lonsim plen tasol i no kamap yet - 17 %

I gat Plen – 7%

No gat Faiv Yia Plen – 75%

Central Cement Project threatening lives and livelihoods

Submitted by ACTNOW on Mon, 22/07/2024 - 04:35

Video: 'No Limestone' is the chant as young people protest against the proposed commercial limestone and cement project on their island.

Lack of District Plans Undermining Quality of Local Services

Submitted by ACTNOW on Thu, 04/07/2024 - 13:49

A lack of proper planning at the District level is a critical failure that is undermining the delivery of quality health and education services across Papua New Guinea.