The Australian Government wants to grow sustainable forest management in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and is now working with the country’s forest authority to improve plantation forestry and grow regional wood supply.
That is according to Matt Lowe, Australia’s Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy, who said the new PNG Foresry Twinning program – announced on Wednesday – will help to support Australian and PNG forestry and forest industries.
“The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is collaborating with the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) to support frameworks and policies to enhance plantation forestry in PNG for sustainable wood supply in the region,” according to Mr Lowe. “We have a long and collaborative history with PNG, built on strong institutional connections improving sustainable forest management practices and combating illegal logging.”
According to Mr Lowe – the new program, which comes weeks after the Australian government introduced its new illegal logging laws – delivers on commitments made in a February 2023 Forestry Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding between the department and PNGFA: “Ongoing engagement in the forestry sector allows us to combine the knowledge and expertise of effective plantation development and forest industry governance through workshops and short-term deployments.”
“Supporting our closest neighbour to grow, develop and protect their forestry sectors shows our commitment to strong international relationships and a harmonised approach to a sustainable future.”
Matt Lowe, Australia’s Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy, on the importance of the PNG Foresry Twinning program.
“The planting of trees is in itself a mitigation against the excess carbon dioxide build-up…that’s a positive in terms of mitigating the climate change situation,” said Dr Sergie Bang, the PNG Secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, who spoke to ABC News on Friday. “It works for the benefit of the country…there is the potential for the use of indigenous tree nuts for export.”
- To read more about collaboration in the Pacific, including the potential for a Pan-Pacific standard for sustainable forest management (covering Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu), click here for Wood Central’s exclusive interview with Richard Laitly, the PEFC International Southeast Asia Manager and Linh Bui, also from PEFC International in October 2023.
