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Natural Resources

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Environment

ACT NOW! reveals evidence of illegal logging in ENB

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ACT NOW! reveals evidence of more illegal logging in new case study

ACT NOW! has released another case study report that reveals more illegal logging under the pretext of agriculture development.

This new report titled “A New Forest Grab” focuses on the Mengen agriculture project in East New Britain Province.

ACT NOW! says the report reveals how a Malaysian owned logging company, KK Connections, has used highly suspicious claims that will establish a forest plantation and agriculture projects to obtain a Forest Clearing Authority (FCA), which it is now using as cover to export thousands of cubic meters of round logs.

An FCA is only supposed to be used to allow the clearing of small, discrete areas of forest for agriculture or other land use changes, but satellite images analyzed by ACT NOW reveal the logging company in the Mengen area is roaming over a large area, selectively felling and extracting valuable timber with no forest clearance or agriculture planting.

The second report follows its first report, Ten Years Without a Crop, published last month in conjunction with Jubilee Australia.

The first report according to ACT NOW! revealed how another Malaysian-owned logging company, Global Elite Limited who has already sold US$31 million (115 million kina) worth of round logs from the Wammy FCA in West Sepik Province, but has not established promised palm oil or rubber plantations.

ACT NOW!’s Campaign Manager Eddie Tanago said to make matters worse, both reports highlight how the FCA logging operations have been approved by the PNG Forest Authority without the informed consent of a significant proportion of customary landowners.

He said just last week, Prime Minister Marape again reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the protection and sustainable management of our forest resources, yet the PNG Forest Authority is continuing to allow illegal logging across the entire country.

ACT NOW! Is calling on the PNG Forest Authority to cancel the Forest Clearing Authorities for both the Mengen and Wammy projects and to impose a moratorium on logging in all FCA areas.

In total there are 24 active FCA logging operations across nine Provinces which cover an average area of 61,849 hectares, the equivalent of more than 11,000 rugby fields.

Eddie Tanago, said: “FCAs are routinely being used as a loophole to authorize the theft of PNG’s forests. We call on the National Forest Board and PNG Forest Authority to extend the current moratorium on new FCAs, suspend logging in all existing FCAs and conduct a comprehensive public review of the projects”.

ACT NOW says it is also calling on the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Fraud squad to open investigations into these illegal logging operations as they are continuing under the supervision of Forest Authority officers.

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Autonomous Region of Bougainville

Process in Judicial Review

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Process in Judicial Review

There’s notable development made in the ongoing discussions between the Autonomous Bougainville Government and Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) in relation to the Judicial Review Dialogue.

This includes the appointment of five Bougainvillean directors to reflect it’s local representatation.

“I am pleased to advise that good progress has been made in our ongoing discussions with Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) aimed at amicably ending long-running Judicial Review proceedings in the National Court of PNG, “said Toroama.

In January 2018, the Bougainville Government refused an extension of BCL’s exploration licence (ELO1).

In April 2018, the Court granted a leave to BCL for a judicial review of the decision.

Toroama said much has happened since then, including the historic referendum that’s paving Bougainville’s path to independence.

“BCL has also continued its transition as a local company, and the ABG currently has 36.45% shareholding in BCL. Through this, the process of transferring another 36.45% presently held by the National Government started,” said Toroama.

Judicial Review
Panguna Mine Pit

In total, the ABG and people of Bougainville are set to have a 72.9% ownership stake in BCL.

As a result, the ABG and BCL have agreed on terms for a deed of settlement that would result in BCL ending the judicial review proceedings once the parties have delivered on a series of undertakings.

These include BCL contributing funds to assist Panguna reburials and reactivating the Bougainville Copper Foundation education scholarships program.

For its part, the ABG has agreed, consistent with the Bougainville Mining Act 2015, to reconsider BCL’s EL01 extension application with a view to extending the exploration licence for five years.

“It must be stressed that this would NOT be a mining licence; the issuance of which is subject to a separate process. BCL has agreed to file a notice with the court for the discontinuance of the Judicial Review,” said Toroama.

An extension of EL01 will allow BCL to continue its program of community support and work cooperatively with the ABG, landowners and the broader community to achieve mutual goals.

An abandoned bridge near the once busy mining area of Panguna.

Any future redevelopment of Panguna under a mining licence will inevitably require the involvement of many project partners. The ABG will continue to progress dialogue with landowners and important stakeholders in preparation for the eventual granting of a mining licence in the near future.

In the meantime, required feasibility related activities must be progressed under an exploration licence; these activities will take years to complete before the project sees actual mining development stage.

“Panguna is also a Bougainville-wide agenda given its relationship with the Bougainville Crisis. This fact, coupled with evidence of strong backing across Bougainville from prior consultative forums undertaken by the ABG in North, Central and South Bougainville supports my decision to pursue this path as President,” President Toroama said.

Related: https://insidepng.com/key-bougainville-plans/

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Autonomous Region of Bougainville

Identifying Marine Boundaries

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Coastal Water Survey

Teams conducting the Coastal Water Survey in Bougainville have been deployed to all three districts in the Region.

The survey is vital as it will allow the transfer of fisheries powers from the National Fisheries Department, to the Autonomous Bougainville Government and will be carried out within three nautical miles in Bougainville.

This move is considered a significant progress towards Bougainville’s political aspirations, especially in defining territorial sovereignty and rights through the reference coordinates for baseline, internal waters and coastal waters.

It is being facilitated through the ABG Department of Primary Industries & Marine Resources, the National Fisheries Authority, the National Department of Justice and Attorney General, the National Maritime Safety Authority and the Geoscience Energy & Maritime (GEM) Division of Pacific Community (SPC).

The findings of this survey will help Bougainville in mapping its coastal hazards or disasters such as tsunamis in coastal communities.

The Coastal Waters Survey is aligned with the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for formalizing maritime boundaries. By aligning with UNCLOS, this enhances Bougainville’s standing on the international stage.

Being a martime region, the ABG believes this survey will enhance maritime services, regulate shipping, and boost economic development

An additial bonus the survey gives the maritime benefits, is that the Coastal Water Survey adds value for future land demarcation, paving way for development, including road infrastructure projects

Coastal Water Survey | Identifying Marine Boundaries | Inside PNG News

Related: https://insidepng.com/coastal-waters-survey/

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Business

8th Pacific Tuna Forum 2023 commences in Port Moresby

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8th Pacific Tuna Forum Kicks off in Port Moresby

THE Acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, John Rosso, officially opened the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum this morning in Port Moresby in the presence of Ministers and Departmental Heads from the fisheries sectors across the Pacific region.

Under the theme, “Strengthening Tuna Sustainability and Industry development in the ‘Blue Pacific Continent’ through increased innovation, partnership and participation”, stakeholders will address challenges faced by the regional tuna industry and chart a course forward for the future of the tuna resource and whole industry.

Managing Director of the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority said, the last Tuna Forum in 2019 was disrupted by Covid-19 but this year’s conference is well represented by all the Pacific nations.

“Pacific island countries value the importance of maintaining dialogue. These meetings have assisted countries in the region to come together and develop common positions and strategies to ensure the sustainable management of tuna in our region”, Ilakini said.

Mr Phil Roberts, Chairman of the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum and Board Director of Tri Marine International Pte Ltd, Singapore who described PNG as a ‘True leader in Pacific Industry and tuna management’ said the challenge now is maintaining the momentum whilst facing global challenges such as climate change and the developments in the industry through the creation of jobs and economic activity.

Head of event organizing Partners

“Fisheries in the Western Pacific is the best managed in the world, there’s a lot to do but I feel optimistic,” he said.

The Pacific Tuna forum is known for its impact on the sustainable management of tuna resources and preserving the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The two-day forum will focus on key areas including Sustainable fisheries management; Ecosystem Conservation; Climate Resilience; Market Access and Trade; and Indigenous and Local Knowledge.

Expected outcomes from the forum discussions include Policy Recommendations, Innovative Solutions, Stakeholder Collaboration and Public Awareness for Tuna Fishing and Marine Resource sectors in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

The 8th Pacific Tuna forum is organized by the National Fisheries authority of Papua New Guinea with INFOFISH and regional partners including the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Parties to the Nauru Agreement Organization and the PNG Fishing Industry Association.

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Business

Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative

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Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative meeting

Seven Fisheries Ministers and Heads of Fisheries Departments from the Pacific Region converged into East New Britain at the start of this month led by the Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources of Papua New Guinea, Jelta Wong for the Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative.

The Ministers and departmental heads were all invited to sit in on two high-level meetings to discuss key issues related to fisheries management, conservation, and sustainable development in the Pacific region.

The Forum Fisheries Committee meeting based on the U.S treaty distribution of funds was the first on the agenda. This meeting provided the platform for all heads of Fisheries in the Pacific to dialogue on how best to distribute the US$6million provided by the U.S Government to island nations that are members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) treaty.

Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative meeting
Justin Ilakini, NFA Managing Director.

Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, Justin Ilakini said: “the aim of this meeting is to broker a deal amongst all parties involved to reach an agreement on an equal distribution of the funds to aid in development of the sector in smaller island nations of the Pacific Region.

The second meeting, the Pacific Island Ministers East New Britain Initiative saw PNG take the lead in providing the platform for Pacific Ministers across the region to create dialogue in addressing two key issues.

The first being climate change and the second, to tap into opportunities to maximize economic returns from the Pacific’s shared tuna resource.

Mr Ilakini in a press conference in Kokopo expressed hope that the leaders will identify practical ways of implementing the forum leaders’ development aspirations as contained in the Blue Pacific Continent.

“We are leading the initiative and providing the platform for our Pacific Island leaders to have the opportunity to have a voice in speaking from their own National Levels to see how we can collaborate as a region to drive the Pacific Island interest going forward in this multi-million-dollar industry which we have come to know as one of the most lucrative industries that we have; the tuna industry.”

To this, PNG’s Minister for Fisheries explained that the whole meet was to create a purpose for the region and showcase what the region is capable of doing in this space.

He further elaborated that the focus is on creating more wealth for the Pacific and controlling the stocks of the Pacific’s shared tuna resources against world players in the global tuna market.

“It’s better that if we stand united as one, the world will know that they can’t come and pick us off one by one”

Minister Wong said, that the initiative further aims to foster dialogue on better ways to mitigate Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing; capitalize on the tuna resource; and ensure that the Pacific gets the best value from its shared tuna resource.

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Education

Journalists complete media training on Tuna

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Media training on tuna resource complete

ABOUT twenty media practitioners from Port Moresby and East New Britain completed a three-day media training course on the importance of the fisheries sector in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Region.

The aim of the media training is to ensure that journalists are better prepared to report on the  8th Pacific Tuna Forum that will be hosted by Papua New Guinea in the capital city, Port Moresby.

Training participants in discussion.
(From left) Carolyn from the Wantok Niuspaper in discussion with Godwin and Wasita from EMTV.

Part of the learnings included the growth of the National Fisheries Authority over time, their operating procedures and authoritative regulations and fishing. Among the topics of fishing was the most important, shared tuna resource of the Pacific region.

The training fostered interactive discussion between facilitators and journalists about some of the issues impacting the tuna market directly, such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and the impacts of external forces such as climate change and COVID-19.

Discussions about preservation and sustainable management of the resource for the future of the country and the wider Pacific and its people were some of the key indicators of the workshop.

President of the Papua New Guinea Media Council, Neville Choi, who was one of four facilitators of the training, encouraged journalists to do more research on tuna and the industry after the workshop in order to effectively report on the topics.

“Tuna is a global market and it impacts some of the major countries who deal with business and economics in the Pacific and a key to understanding all of that is knowing about the fish. The fish in itself is important and where it’s going to be in the next 50 years is important to our own Pacific livelihoods.”

Another facilitator and long-time Pacific journalist, Lisa Williams-Lahari, who’s been covering and following the Tuna stories globally shared her experiences as a Pacific islander and a journalist covering tuna; a resource that is closer to the heart of the pacific people.

“As a journalist following the tuna story worldwide, PNG has really represented the tuna tigers of this region (Pacific) to the world; in terms of leadership and development; and in terms of following the dollars that our people will benefit from in the terms to come.”

The three-day media training ended with a presentation of certificates to all participants and training facilitators.

The training was initiated and funded by the National Fisheries Authority in preparation for the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum which will be hosted by Papua New Guinea at the Stanley Hotel from the 6th-7th of September in Port Moresby.

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Business

Media workers undergo training ahead of 8th Pacific Tuna Forum

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Media personnel with Tuna training facilitators and NFA members


FOURTEEN media workers from Port Moresby are joining other media workers in Kokopo for a three-day media workshop ahead of the 8th Pacific Tuna Forum to be hosted on the 6th-8th of September in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The biannual PTF is the main arena where all stakeholders gather gauge the pulse of the tuna industry in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and the broader ‘Blue Pacific Continent’; and to keep abreast of the latest sustainable management initiatives, innovative approaches and transformational endeavors at play or that could be further harnessed for the betterment of the industry.

The media workers training is most focused tuna and the inner workings of fisheries industry and will broaden the knowledge of those in attendance.

It is also an essential step toward understanding the importance of the tuna resource in and around the Pacific Region and will help journalists and reporters better cover the event and write stories about the 8th PTF next week.

Facilitators of the trainings include representatives from the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authorities, Forum Fisheries Agency and Pacific Island Forum Secretariat. Representing the PNG Media Council, President, Neville Choi will be facilitating a session on media ethics around the reporting of tuna resources and story writing in today’s training session.

The media training is hosted by the PNG National Fisheries Authority at the Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort in Kokopo, East New Britain.

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News

NEW PORGERA AGREEMENT

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The Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Barrick Niugini Limited and New Porgera Limited has signed an agreement to progress with the operations of the mine.

The New Porgera Progress Agreement signed on Friday confirms that all parties are committed to reopening the mine at the earliest opportunity.

The signing ceremony at the government house was witnessed by Prime Minister James Marape, Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow, ministers of the state, and other stake holders.

After the signing Ceremony, Prime Minister James Marape addressed the media, saying this is a huge step closer to the reopening of the Porgera mine.

The Prime Minster further shared his appreciation to the State Negotiation Team and all stake holders for their patience, and hard work behind the scene, which allowed them to go through the due processes.

Marape said there has been a lot of delay in the processes, however these are all steps to ensure the new porgera is a fruitful venture.

Barrick CEO Mark Bristow further explained that the next steps are to transfer the exploration license from old Porgera to new Porgera, and make the application for the special Mining license, and that will open the doors to starting up the mine.

“We have a number of people to employ between now and the startup. We have started, and we will continue to employ people.” Bristow said.

He said they are committed to start producing gold within this year.

The CEO also appealed to the people of Porgera to end all violence and work together for a better place in Enga province.

Under the New Porgera agreement, economic benefits will be shared 53% by the PNG stakeholders and 47% by Barrick Niugini Limited.

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Agriculture

EU STREIT PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH AGRI-ENTERPRISES

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under EU-STREIT PNG Programme, is collaborating with registered enterprises or cocoa nurseries, to sustainably supply quality cocoa seedlings in the Sepik Region of Papua New Guinea.

Over 30 registered nurseries have signed an agreement with EU STREIT PNG, and they are now distributing pest-tolerant seedlings to potential cocoa producers in the Sepik region.

This partnership is to help increase the production of high-quality cocoa.

It also provides an opportunity for the nursery owners to further nourish in PNG agri-businesses environment, being empowered to engage, provide and meet local demands for cocoa seedlings.

The newly boarded partners have been equipped with nursery set-ups by the Programme that meets PNG Cocoa Board standards.

“National Cocoa Production Officer Michael Lames said they are engaging farmer groups as service providers to deliver seedlings to their members including youths and women.”

“The FAO under the Programme will purchase these seedlings at the rate of K3 and K4 per seedling, including transport cost for distribution of seedlings to targeted farmers and cocoa blocks,” Lames said.

FAO – STREIT Cocoa Production Officer Odrick Urum further explained that payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of deliveries that will be followed by field verification where seedlings are planted into the ground.

“The money will be paid into the groups’ respective bank accounts to support their operation as a business, and for the benefit of their members.”

Wilfred Mombiang who represents a registered farmer group of Saure Village, in Wewak District, expressed gratitude towards this partnership.

“It is an exciting opportunity for us to learn new ideas on how to operate as a service provider, which requires quality delivery on a set time,” Mombiang said.

The Programme has also built the capacity of nursery owners as well as the producers in efficient cocoa cloning, budding and block management.

All these initiatives are part of the EU-STREIT Programme’s broader work plan to strengthen cocoa value chain actors in the Sepik region.

Cocoa farmers signing documents with the EU STREIT Program
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Natural Resources

K14.8M in Royalties Paid out by the Ramu Nickel Project

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Landowners of the four project impact areas of the Ramu Nickel Project under Ramu NiCo Management Limited, were paid their royalty payment totalling to K14.8 million for the year 2021 on July 20th, 2022.

The landowner groups that the payments were made to include Kurumbukari, Inland Pipeline, Coastal Pipeline and Basamuk. Kurumbukari got a portion of approximately K8.6 million, Inland and Coastal Pipeline LO’s got approximately K2 million each while Basamuk Los got a portion of approximately K3 million respectively.

All payments made totals to the grand total of royalty payment to LO’s for 2021, including the other years concerned. The recent payments are the 6th made by the company since production began in 2013.

Jacob Winis, Principal Landowner of Memeume 1 and Chairman of the Maigari (Inland Pipeline) Landowners Association said, the royalty payments made by Ramu NiCo has contributed immensely in improving the people’s state of living by having access to basic services.

“The royalty payments made by Ramu NiCo to the landowners has helped us in setting up small Businesses or projects, supporting us with school fees, access to health services and I see that there is actual change” Winis said.

The first royalty payments made were in 2018, for years 2013 to 2017, paid in two separate accumulated payments; first payment of approximately K25.5 million was made in June of 2018. While the second  payment of K8 million plus, was made in the same year for July to December of 2017.

Royalty payment of approximately K16.3 million for 2018 was made in 2019, for 2019, approximately K26.2 million was made in 2020. 2020’s payment of K 17.3 million approximately was made in 2021.

With the most Recent payment of approximately K14.8 million made this year, for 2021. A total of K108.1 million in royalties has been paid since 2018 to landowners.

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