Solomon Islands: No policy to reduce logging by 25%, but maybe soon?
Forest minister Job Duddley Tausinga says his ministry is working on a new forestry bill. Mr Tausinga said this new bill aims to reduce the level of logging by 25 per cent. The minister said this in parliament. He said he hopes to bring the new bill in the July sitting this year. “Currently we do not have the power to enforce any policy that would require us to cut the level of harvesting by 25 per cent,” Mr Tausinga said.
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“We have in previous years what is allocated to be 20 per cent of logs
harvested to be milled. “This usually appeared in the landowners’ agreement where it is required that companies process 20 per cent of their annual cuts.
“It is very difficult to enforce that policy statement and as such there have been some companies that have not honoured the milling of the 20 per cent requirement.” Mr Tausinga said the Government wants to build in that legislation to allow the ministry to monitor and enforce the 20 per cent milling requirement.
“The 25 per cent is a policy that needs to be legislated so that when the policy is implemented, at least there is tooth to bite, so to speak.” Mr Tausinga said one of the difficulties in the logging industry is that the government does not own the resources. “And so when resource owners are willing to give out their resources and if they follow the requirements under the law, the Ministry does not have the power to hinder whatever the people want in cutting down their forest.
“This is the dilemma we are really in but we hope when we have
the legislation in place we would be able to look into that area and
try to control things.” Mr Tausinga said at the moment the current
legislation provides for facilitation of applications for resource
owners. As such it is a bit difficult for the government to stop the
people whose lands and resources they would want to give to logging
companies.
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