Oil palm drives ‘deforestation’

National
Source:
The National,Friday June 10th, 2016

OIL palm has been the major driver of deforestation and forest degradation in the Niugini Islands, a forestry officer says.
Gewa Gamato, an officer with the PNG Forest Authority revealed this during his presentation of a report on annual assessment of forest and land use change in the Niugini Islands and the Highlands.
The assessment conducted by the authority from 1999 to 2015 showed that the major driver of deforestation in the highlands was farming, especially shifting cultivation.
Gamato said the two drivers of forest loss in the coastal areas were logging and oil palm plantation.
“Through our assessment, oil palm plantation is the main driver of deforestation in the Niugini Islands and farming, especially shifting cultivation is the major driver of forest loss in the Highlands,” he said.
“We are currently doing assessment on the land use for the Southern region and will move into Momase region,” Gamato said.