• Download the ITTO Diagnostic Mission Report  2.8mb

In 2007, at the request of the PNG government, the International Tropical Timber Organisation sent a diagnostic mission to PNG to report on progress towards sustainable forest management and recommend appropriate measures.

The general conclusion of this “Diagnostic Mission” is that PNG has many solid acts, laws and legislation in place, but implementation is problematic due primarily to administrative and governance constraints and intervention. The government and industry have not been able to demonstrate integrated, economically viable, ecologically conlpatible and socially acceptable forest managenlent practices in line with the ITTO Criteria and Indicators. Forest management is reduced to monitoring logging operations at the expense of overall Sustainable Forest Management.

The environmental impacts of timber harvesting decisions and operations are poorly addressed and the regulatory framework is not being enforced due to inefficient collaborative efforts of PNG Forest Authority and DEC in field monitoring and control. The landowners constantly complain about lack of involvement in all government decision making processes related to forestry.

[Executive Summary at page vi]