New report requires urgent measures for the FCA protocol scandal

A new report on the logging in Papua New Guinea requires urgent measures by authorities in PNG and overseas to deal with long -term questions in connection with illegal logging, human rights violations and environmental damage.

The report, which published the Community Advocacy Organization Act Now and the Jubilee Australia Research Center, focuses on Wald -Clearing authorities (FCAS), a kind of protocol license.

It raises serious concerns that FCAS is abused to enable large -scale logging while governmental authorities do not act.

While allegations of FCAs have increasingly made headlines, this marks the first report to give an overview of FCAs that make up a third of all protocol exports from PNG

“The report demolishes what the forest cleaning authorities are, the rules around them and how they work in practice.

“The report also points out that experts for tropical forest who demanded FCAs are returned at least in 2011.

In 2023, the PNG Forest Authority announced a moratorium on the granting of new FCA licenses, but since then no measures have been taken to stop existing projects since then.

In order to make things worse, although the moratorium also called for an examination of existing FCAs from PNGFA employees, no examination results were published more than two years later.

The Pngfa did not answer written inquiries about the publication of examination reports.
The report describes abuse both in the application process for FCA licenses and in the execution of the logging after the provision.

This includes questions that are as different as FCAs, which are granted for forest paralysis in connection with agricultural projects that have no viable plans to exaggerate excessive limits and concerns about the consent of habitual owners.

Analysis of questions related to the abuse of FCA licenses is based on four previously published case studies on the Wammy Rural Development Project in the Province of West Sepik; the amount integrated in East New Britain; the Wasu -integrated agricultural project in the province of Morobe; And the loan Bwanabwana integrated Agro-Forestry project in the province of Milne Bay.

The report states that the entirety of this evidence indicates a very high risk that registered from FCA projects or come from wood products and that all financial revenues could be classified as illegally.

In addition to the government's immediate measures, the protocol exports from all FCA areas are required until a transparent and public investigation has been carried out, and anniversary Australia are calling for law enforcement authorities, commercial banks, diplomatic community and auxiliary authorities and auxiliary authorities and in overseas timber buyers.

“The Pngfa has repeatedly unable to control the problems of forest criminal and illegal logging,” says Eddie Tanago.

“It is therefore important that other agencies in both PNG and overseas stop the continued illegal wood trimming of our forests and the associated crimes such as money laundering and human rights violations.”

“90% of our protocol exports go to China, so it is particularly important that China acts.”
Jubilee Australia points out that many countries in overseas have bans on import or dealing with illegal wood, but do not prevent the trade in protocols and the SAWN wood from PNG.

“On the one hand, the countries want to cut out illegally registered wood – which is really positive. However, we know that the places where illegal wood strike is the most widespread that the forest enforcement is most likely to pick up on these illegalities.

The legal Due Diligence requires more than just asking whether a company has a license or export permit. It is indications that a company has met the legal requirements in order to acquire or maintain this license. Countries that import wood or wood products from PNG without such evidence accidentally undermine the rule of law in PNG and the forests and peoples that they should protect. “

In the summary recommendation, the government recommends that all protocol exports from FCA areas to be suspended until an independent, transparent and public investigation is completed in the legality of all existing FCA licenses and logging companies.

The National Forest Board to expand the Moratorium for new FCA licenses until a complete state investigation was carried out and all recommendations have been implemented and the results of the FCA projects completed publish.

The fraud group, UNODC and Interpol to identify the criminal laws that may have been interrupted during the submission and approval of fraudulent FCA applications.

Course banks to identify all customers associated with FCA protocol transactions and to ensure the complete compliance with all anti -money laundering regulations as well as the guidelines for environmental and social responsibility for social responsibility.

The diplomatic community and aid organizations to support the PNG government in carrying out a review of all existing FCA licenses and the action of the request recommendations. Support of the PNGFA in setting up a public register of all wood harvest operations that are provided in accordance with P.103a of the Forestry Act.

Timber buyers in overseas to ensure that unprocessed protocols, sawdust and wood products are bought from PNG, are checked regardless of a valid, legally approved and sustainably managed source.