Summary: 

The E nvironmental and Social Impact Assessment was carried out in 1997 and also in the first four weeks of January 2000. It finds that the group of Rimbunan Hijau companies and the landowner company consistently failed to adhere to the terms of the Papua New Guinea code of logging practice (1996) in their operations in Timber Right Purchase (TRP) of block 1 and 2 in the west coast of Manus province (see map). The assessment finds compliance with the approved Papua New Guinea government code of practice is virtually non existent in the current logging coupes. Evidence gathered shows systematic disregards of typical of forestry department in Manus and logging companies to ensure both forest productivity and evironment protection.

Road standards are uniformaly poor. Non of the roads surveyed remain traficable and all are the source of substantial sediment inputs into streams and ultimately nearby estuarine and marine areas. There is evidence that the roads have been constructed with main objective to have rapid access to harvestable forest. Indeed, in some area roads are deteriorating rapidly whilst logging operations are continuing. This apply to skid tracks. Erosion and instability exemplify virtually all skid tracks on slopes in the study area, steep slopes and erosive soil exacerbating the problem in many site.

All brides surveyed were in the state of disrepair. The only serviceable structures were those being actively utulized for log haulage. All others were impassable and need complete reconstruction. Likewise culverts are poorly constructed. Even along road area still used for log extraction there were blocked culverts. Poor construction techniques and inadequate allowance for water and sediment flows are to blame.

Buffer Zones water ways, supposed to be free from felling, extraction or other logging related enviromental impact, were breached in many log areas. This is evidence to non compliance with the code of logging practice agreement.

The failure of loggers and landowner company do not adhere to the code of practice has lead to major destruction of fauna and flora in the area. The wide spread loss of any residual stand, proliferation of plant species particularly resulting from excessive soil disturbances, and off site impacts such as sedimentation of streams, rivers, estuaries and coastal and marine ecosystems. These factors will result in long term loss of forest to regenerate and also losses of cultural and subsistance amenity from the forest resource.

Description of the study site:

The land survey for this environmental and social impact assessment analysis lie along the west coast of Manus province. The coastal plain generally hilly and flat. Along the coast there are coral reefs, stretch throughout the coastline. Big river are found along the coastline with plantation of mangroves. This are waterway entries into the marine environment are area of sandy and shores beaches.

These areas surveyed encompassed the full range of landscapes observed along the coast toward the west. Logs dump were placed on foreshores with the larger embayment along the coastline e.g the entry bay of Ndrahukei, point stones and Lo-an. Logging operations were located across slopes and crests of the hinterland with some foreshores and environment impact where forest quality pemitted commercial extraction. The hilltop slope forests occupied the hinterland of these coastal landscape were dominated by calophyllum.

Company logging records would yield an indication of volume and species mix from particular set-up of land. The majority of the area from which logs are extracted are hill slope forest, with many streams draining. These slopes are merging into major rivers where catchment areas were of sufficient area.

Survey Method:

People in the resource area were questioned about the environmental and social impacts of the logging operations. Evidence shows environmental and social impact affected most villages. Individual and community interviews were in the form of discussions and open-ended questions.

Introduction:

Papua New Guinea is a Melanesian nation of 4.7 million people located north of Australia and south east of Asia. It is a culturally diverse national made up of a multitude of ethnic groups, speaking at least 800 languages. In most areas, rights to land and other resources are vested in customary groups such as clan, within which nearly all individuals have some kind of access to land and resourecs for subsistance needs, shelters and other necessities of life. Despite past colonial and state efforts to regulate land tenure and landownership, a wide range of customary land tenure and land use systems still exist for allocating rights to resources and for regulating the sucession to these rights (Crocombe and Hide 1997). Indeed, these customary rights are recognised by, and enshrined in, the National constitution.

Over 90% of the forest in Papua New Guinea are owned by traditional landholders under customary tenure. In Papua New Guinea where more than 70% (36 million hectares) of the total land is still covered with forests, and is million hectares identified as accessible and operable for forestry devlopment, a number of stakeholders have become involved in the forestry sector. These include resources owners, landowner companies, the state and logging companies and affiliated contractors. Permits for timber exploitation are issued by the government after the negotiating the acquisition of rights from the local communities. For a logging proposal to proceed all landowners must be consulted and agree to the extraction of timber. Landowners receive royalties at a standard rate set by the state and have no control over it. Company holds the timber permit or the rate at which the timber is harvested.

History of Timber Right Purchase (TRP) in the Manus Province:

In the late 1970s the Manus province government had shown interest in developing the timber resource in the west coast of Manus area. Documents from the Manus provincail government office showed that interest in the area was related to plans for developing a revenue collection base as part of Manus economic plan. The discussion on the TRP proposal was held between the Manus provincial government and forestry officials. The landowners were not a part to the negotiating deal. There was no awareness campaign of any kind to inform or either to educate the landowners about the advantages and disadvantages of logging in Manus Island. The plan was adopted and forestry officials urged people to indicate their logging agreement to logging rights contract by placing an X. The use of a X shows that there are probably literacy problems which suggest that people may not understand what they are signing. The government of Papua New Guinea purchased the timber rights from the landowners on the 2^nd of May 1988. The initial uncertainty about the timber species in this area was solved by baseline and feasibility studies over the proceeding years. These findings enable the Manus provincial government to call for tenders from companies with the intention of developing the TRP area. The Malaysian timber group, seal Inc, and its Papua New Guinea based subsidiary seal (PNG) Pty, Ltd, through the landowner company (Kei Beseu Kampani (KBK), obtained the tenders to develop the area. The initial harvest was undertaken in mid 1988 until 1996 in the area known as block 1. This was the first major timber extraction from the area. In 1997 the company moved to block 2 until at recent they still harvest the timber.

By signing the project agreement the group of Malaysian company committed itself to harvest rainforest trees using selective logging system and to minimise incidental evironmental damage. This was in line with the Papua New Guinea logging code of practice (1996) and thus selective logging should follow the policy of sustained yield management. This should provide long term benefits to the communities who own the forest. The code of logging has stated clearly that loggers should comply best to management practice and its aim is to reduce adverse impacts on the forest and the communities living with forest.

Traditionally the communities in the TRP area are dependent upon the forest for their survival. The staple food is the starch of the sago palm. This is complemented by garden food and wild root crops as well as by the range of tree crops, of which the most prominent are coconut palms. Characteristically sago palms are found in the lower lying swampy areas, and the coconut palms on the hill tops planted close to settlements. Hunting of wild animal and birds as well as fishing are important sources of animal protein.

Some Major Findings:

Food sources.

Beside protein, logging affects other sources of vital daily food too. Numerous instances logging company bulldozing fruit and vegetable gardens located in or on the edge of forest and destroying wild fruits and other edible forest plan. Most of these sources are grown on the old settlement site.

Water:

A lot of watershed are destroyed and river becomes silted and polluted, local people are derived of the most vital resource for survival. The clear stream and river at most cases are polluted. The classic example is that once in the past Marai people enjoy the benefit of clean water from a flowing river but today the river is polluted with sediments and siltation. The consequences of raised silt-load in river are far reaching. The Marai people in the west coast of Manus province are derived of sources of clean water and rural life suffers.

Health:

The loss of food and the pollution of water sources leads to health problem amongst the forest dependent-communities, with women and children tending to suffer the most. The health clinic record has shown malnutrition became evident due to the decline in wild meat and fish harvesting. Also there are intense levels of Malaria among workers and the local surrounding populations.

Community stability:

Community values are being undermined and the fabric and integrity of forest communities disrupted by extractive logging and by the sebsequent reliance on the cash economy for essential daily products such as food. Social tensions within and between communities are often exacerbated as a result.

In the TRP area, as illegal roads are bulldoze through reserves, adding to social tensions and sometimes violence. Illegal logging in reserves usually takes place as a result of deals struck between loggers and certain individuals amongst the community, resulting in social conflict within the community.

As younger, more employable community members seeks jobs in the logging camps, the drain of labour not only deprives the communities of needed hands in agriculture, hunting fishing and cultural activities, but also contributes to other negative sides of the extractive industry, namely alcoholism and prostitution. Evidence showed that younger people at the age between 15 to 25 consumed alcohol heavily with marijuana. Young people do not like to attend school. It was practice between both boys and girls during the peak of logging operation. Prostitution was evidence between the employee (especailly the Asian) and the local girls which result in illegal marriage within most logging camp. Though, few girls were hired as cook, in reality they provide entertainment for the employee.

Women seem to have been the worst affected. As many men go to find employment in the logging industry, a newly-emerging division of labour requires the women who remain to cope with previously male task and to work harder and longer hours to collect water and forest products, both of which are scare because of logging operation.

Opposition to logging:

Another major social impact arising from industry logging is the potential for conflicts between loggers , landowners company and landowners in the TRP area. Landowners have caused damaged to landowners company and the loggers property as the last resort to get both parties listen to their demand. Young men are very active against the loggers often forced to take violent action in their attempts to prevent loggers illegal incursion into their territories.

Over time the landowners in west coast of Manus TRP area have become increasingly disillusioned with some commercial forestry operations, seeing no benefit or improvement in their living standards nor local infrastructure after fourteen years of the operation. As a result, the landowners, logging company and administrative authorities of landowner company are often in conflict with each others.

Conclusion:

The logging practice are causing irreversible damage to the forest resources, including flora and fauna, and watershed integrity and soil quality. No benefits are reaching the customary landowners who depend on the forest resource. Logging has destroyed their mean of subsistance and livehood. Thomas Barnett Commission of Enquiry into Papua New Ginean Forestry Sector (1987-1989) seem to change little for most of loggers to operate. Timber industry has made life harder for landowners in Papua New Guinea. The landowner face destruction of their environment and also their society. Thus the future for the next generation is uncertain which mean destruction.

* Cain Lomai Pwesei: post graduate student in Anthropology from the University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea. Also an exchange student at kagoshima University Research Centre for the Pacific Islands studies, Kyushu Island, Japan.) January 2001.

PNG =Papua New Guinea

TRP = Timber Right Purchase

PNGFA =Papua New Guinea Forest Authority

LCOP =Logging Code of Practice

RH =Rimnam Hijau

KBK=Kei Beseu Kampani (simply Company)

Barnett, T.E., 1989. Commission of Inquiry into Aspects of the Forestry Industry Final 
Report, volume 1; Waigani: 4 July.

Crocombe R & Hide R (1987) !New Guinea: Unity in Diversity in Crocombe, R, (ed.) Land Tenure in the Pacific, third revised edition, University of the South Pacific, Fiji.pp.324-367

Environmental plan, May 1988. Timber Permit 18-2, west coast Manus province, Timber Right Purchase area. Kei Beseu Kampani Pty, Ltd permit holder seal (Manus) Pty Ltd logging contractor.

Lamb D (1990). Exploiting the Tropical Rain Forest. Man and the Biosphere Series volume 3(ed.JNR Jeffers). UNESCO

Lomai Cain, 1997. Communication and Information Issue in Resource Extraction Unpublished BA(Hons) thesis, University of Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea (1996) Logging Code of Practice. First Edition. Forest Authority & Department of environment & Conservation.

Post Courier, Thursday, August 25, 1988.