Still waiting

The National Letters

THE People of Tikana LLG in Kavieng, New Ireland, have given their land for development.
News appeared in the business section of The National on Tuesday, Feb 13.
Congratulations to Tikana and the Huhu Tree Plantation Project in Alotau, Milne Bay.
We in the East Collingwood Bay, Alotau, District have been waiting since 1998 for a similar development project with National Forest Authority.
However, the authority does not appear to have interest in the project, although it is a top priority for Milne Bay.
We have registered 66 ILGs in the 1990s and also a registered a landowner company.
We have waited for a similar project like Tikana and Huhu Tree Plantation.
The NFA has turned a blind eye on the forest management agreement (FMA) which was signed by the then forest minister in April 1998. The authority has breached the terms of the FMA agreement signed between the 66 ILGs and itself by not implementing the project.
The landowners have made land available by signed consent through the ILG for up to15, 000 hectares of land area for tree plantations.
This was agreed in a number of national forestry workshops, especially the Southern regional forestry workshop held in Alotau in April 2016.
The NFA has let the people and the 66 ILGs of the FMA project down.
Can the minister for forest and the national forestry board allocate this FMA project for a similar tree plantation project?
The people have been waiting for 20 years.
How much longer will they have to wait for your decision?
Could you allocate this FMA for tree plantation and REDD+ project?
Sovereign Green Global Australia, an Australian company registered both in Australia and with Investment Promotion Authority, has shown interest to conserve this area for carbon credits.
The 66 ILGs have agreed with this arrangement to continue with the project, which had commenced with land owners in 2012.
The project plans to have tree plantations and further preserve high biodiversity areas in the higher altitude mountainous areas for carbon credits.
We are willing to have the NFA to oversee and supervise this project.
The NFA needs to make a decision and let development to progress and bring change and prosperity for this remote/isolated area of Alotau.

Concerned Clan Member
East Collingwood FMA
Milne Bay