 The Forest Conservation, Livelihoods and Rights Project attended the Papua New Guinea Forest Stewardship Council National Forest Certification Workshop on "The future of forest certification in Papua New Guinea", held in Port Moresby on 11-12 March 2008. Over 40 participants from NGOs, landowner associations, certifying bodies, industry and government participated in this very lively two-day workshop. This event was important as the first national workshop on forest certification in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in about 10 years. One of the highlights was the formal launching of the PNG Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) National Initiative and the High Conservation Value Forest Toolkit. The Toolkit is linked with the PNG FSC National Standards, which are now awaiting final endorsement.
IGES presented its research on certification in PNG, noting progress, challenges and prospects. The only two active FSC certificates in PNG are for community-based timber milling. Participants argued that the certification of community-based operations presented a more economically attractive, socially acceptable and environmental sustainable option for forestry development than uncertified industrial-scale operations.
Although forest certification in PNG faces an array of challenges, PNG appears to have progressed further than any other producer country in the region in the development of FSC national forest management standards. The enthusiasm evident at the workshop and the progress made with standards development are indicators of a strong sense of ownership of forest certification in PNG. The growing international demand for certified timber was discussed and one buyer indicated that his company was prepared to pay significantly higher prices for certified timber milled by communities.
Participants argued that forest certification would raise the standards of forest management, improve compliance with forest regulations in concessions and enhance transparency. The workshop closed on an optimistic note with participants suggesting a number of constructive ways to engage with government, industry and educational institutions, and to fully utilise the existing FSC certificates.
|
