Bougainville won't allow larger-scale loggers to harvest its forests - Large-scale loggers out

Bougainville won't allow larger-scale loggers to harvest its forests - Large-scale loggers out

Papua New Guinea Postcourier

17 June 2003

Panguna villagers resume small-scale gold mining

A workshop on a provincial forest plan was told that many Bougainvilleans would support small-scale industries and do not want to see large-scale logging companies on the island.

The workshop was organised by the National Forest Authority in Port Moresby in conjunction with the provincial forestry office based at Kokopau.

The provincial forestry office is managed by Peter Nomoreke. The workshop was organised to get feedback from the different stakeholders in the forestry sector on Bougainville, including the provincial administration.

Acting divisional manager of forest management Francus Hurahura said the Bougainvillean Provincial Forestry Plan would constitute the National Forestry Plan so that the National Forest Authority could provide funding through it.

Many Bougainvilleans are looking at small-scale forest industries and they are totally against the idea of introducing large-scale logging companies into the province,Mr Hurahura said. They would like to export processed timber products as this would add value to the logs harvested on the island.

He said all forestry projects on the island would be community based and all wood products would initially be for the local market, especially with the current restoration and reconstruction process which would need timber products.

The surplus wood products would then be considered for other markets either overseas or to other parts of Papua New Guinea. This will be considered after supplying the local market, Mr Hurahura said.

He said outside investor would be invited to enter Bougainville and participate in developing the forestry sector but the number of investors would be minimised and controlled and benefit from the industry.

We do not want outsiders to dominate the industry on the island and we have come up with the provincial forestry plan,he said.

The provincial forestry plan would be looked at by the Provincial Forest Management Committee of which the chairman will be the administrator of Bougainville.