PNG's rainforests comprise part of the third largest forest area in the world after the Amazon and Congo. Photo: Papua New Guinea Forest Industry Association
A non government organisation in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has dressed down Prime Minister James Marape for claiming his government is sustainably managing the country's forests.
Marape made the comment at the United Nations General Assembly, where he also offered PNG advice to other countries on how to care for their biodiversity.
He said PNG hosts up to seen percent of the world's biodiversity that were mostly housed within a tropical rainforest that is the third largest in the world and has a vast marine ecosystem.
"We sustainably manage our forests, land and sea, because our livelihood depends on them," he said.
But community advocacy group ACT NOW said Marape's government is doing nothing to stop widespread illegal logging and in particular the abuse of agricultural clearing licences.
ACT NOW's campaign manager Eddie Tanago said PNG is the world's largest exporter of tropical logs and most of the logging is illegal and unsustainable.
The NGO said it has documented numerous examples of logging licences being issued for bogus agriculture projects and colonial era logging permits are still being renewed, in defiance of court orders and community opposition.
James Marape addresses the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York
"The PM has spoken of PNG's rich cultural and lingual diversity being dependent on the deep connections that local people have to the land and that many communities depend on the forests for their livelihoods, yet his government is actively assisting foreign logging companies to destroy these habitats," Tanago said.
"The PM has also highlighted that the well-being of Papua New Guineans depends on the health of its forest and marine ecosystems and reinforced the importance of environmental conservation and the need to safeguard natural resources for future generations.
"So, why is his government glossing over clear evidence of widespread illegal logging?"
PNG's rainforests comprise part of the third largest forest area in the world after the Amazon and Congo.
Marape has called forests the "lungs of the earth" due to their crucial role in absorbing carbon pollution and supporting biodiversity.