Illegal sawmilling endangering forests

 I LIVE in one of the densely forested areas near Giluwe and Siwi Utame areas in Ialibu, Southern Highlands. 

This area used to be once a protected wildlife area. It used to be called Siwi Utame Wildlife Sanctuary. It used to be an inhabitant for many of Papua New Guinea’s animals, birds, insects, butterflies, cassowaries, flora fauna and other plants and animal species.

Now that natural habitat is all destroyed and gone. I have great concern as how my beautiful jungles are been exploited and destroyed for milling timber from reckless portable sawmill owners. The poor village people and forest owners have been cheated by paying little monies and have cut all the wood to sell to outside buyers offering large amounts of money. Most of the timber is sold to buyers from hardware and timber yard owners in Mt. Hagen. I understand that by law, any individual or organisation milling timber in any forests of PNG in large scale must comply with our forest laws. One of the regulations is re-vegetation and re-forestation. Once a chosen tree for timber is fallen, just think about the destruction caused to other trees, minor plants, and habitants of that environment are destroyed. Nearly 75% of the forests in this area are gone. After the harvest of the forests, they leave behind the bare land with grass and scrubs and are gone without compensating the poor people and not considering re-vegetation or re-forestation and rehabilitation of the environment.

There are more than 20 portable sawmills operating in these areas. I wonder if these saw mill owners have licenses and their business entities registered to cut timber and following government regulations when milling timber in large scale for commercial purpose. Has the government noticed these and have codes and regulations for large scale portable sawmills for commercial purpose?

This is one of the un-noticed and un-coordinated illegal timber operations in my forests.

Most of the villagers have left making gardens and now sustain living from these so called illegal timber business, selling there forests cheaply and carrying timber for the saw mill owners which in turn they pay them less after carrying more timber.  Despite the fact, forest owners do not have any education and knowledge about what effects and impacts that this quick money business will bring to the environment and their livelihood as many of the people’s lives depend on the forests. People also lack knowledge and awareness from greenhouse effects.

These forests and their inhabitants have fallen victim to the irresponsible and reckless portable saw mill owners. Even though, the people have seen these negative impacts, they are still accepting and hungry for whatever amount and means of payment they offer.

I am appealing to the PNG Forest Authority to control this irresponsible timber harvesting which has been going on for the past 18 years. 

Unless we do something about it now, all our world renowned rainforests will vanish.

Lombo Alumba

Ialibu, SHP