Papua New Guinea‘s forests are the third largest, and some of
the most diverse, on Earth. They support many cultures as well
as a rich diversity of plant and animal species. Yet 60% of
PNG's ancient forests have already been lost to industrial and
illegal logging. The World Bank estimates 70% of logging in PNG
is illegal. Now there is a new threat to the remaining forests.
The United Nations has questioned Papua New Guinea on the recent
rollout of over 5 million hectares of agricultural leases. These
agricultural leases (known as Special Agriculture and Business
Leases - SABLs) cover about 20% of the country’s forests and
represent one of the worst contemporary cases of cultural land
grabs. They will decimate PNG’s remaining forests and
biodiversity unless they are overturned. Greenpeace is in PNG at
the request of customary landowners who are fighting to hold on
to their land and forests.