Taming the Robber Barons? The Reform of Forestry Legislation in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The Independent State of Papua New Guinea lies in the Pacific Ocean to the north of Australia and east of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, the islands of New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville, as well as numerous smaller islands. Papua New Guinea has a population of 3.9 million people and a land area of 462,840 square kilometres. Of this area, approximately 77% is forested. The forestry industry contributes 4.6% of the gross domestic produce of Papua New Guinea and timber exports represent 8.5% of the total value of exports. Around 95% of timber exports are in the form of logs and in recent years there has been a decline in onshore timber processing. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the recent history of the regulation of the forestry industry in Papua New Guinea and to critically examine the impact of the Forestry Act 1991.