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Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a global biodiversity hotspot- its status and success of conservation efforts within the country have a significant bearing upon the success of global biodiversity protection regimes. It is estimated that PNG holdings at least 7% of the world’s total living species in less than 1% of its total land mass, with 2/3rds of these species being unique to PNG. PNG is also one of the top 20 countries listed by the UN to be under threat of climate change.
Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia. Papua New Guinea is among more than 100 countries that have pledged to end deforestation by 2030 after negotiations at the UN Climate Summit, COP 26. The island of New Guinea is home to the world’s third largest rainforest but illegal logging has destroyed much of it.
Biodiversity of PNG
The number of plant species ranges between 15,000 to 20,000. 75% of the country is covered in forests, with PNG being home to the third largest intact tropical rainforest in the world and the fifth largest tropical forest forest. In addition to the diversity of flora within the nation, it is estimated to contain 150,000 species of insects, 314 species of freshwater fishes, 2,800 marine fishes, 641 species of amphibian and reptile, 740 species of birds and 276 species of mammals. PNG is part of the Coral Triangle, a marine area considered to contain the highest known level of marine biological diversity in the world with coral reefs and marine habits accounting for 10% of the world’s total marine fish species. PNG also holds the highest mangrove diversity in the world, with 33 species. This biodiversity is of great value to the global ecological balance, holding significant scientific, cultural, and economic value the world. PNG has 820 language groups spoken – around 12% of the world’s total. There is no other country on the planet today with so much unique biodiversity and traditional cultural diversity. We must all work together to protect and celebrate them both.
Drivers of Habitat Destruction and Challenges
PNG is dominated by the forestry, agriculture, mining and fishing sector. Land clearance poses a significant environmental challenge for PNG, not only in terms of habitat destruction and the loss of biodiversity but in emissions production. According to the Climate Change and Development Authority, carbon emissions in PNG are expected to increase by up to 32% by 2030, with land change accounting for 95% of these total emissions. Complex ecosystems such as those present in PNG act as major carbon sinks for the world, storing harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere and filtering them out (more like a sink for emissions from fossil fuel burning industrial countries. Deforestation in this case has major flow on effects when it comes to biodiversity, firstly through immediate habitat destruction and then the subsequent risks posed by increased temperatures, sea level rise and extreme weather events, further compounding the challenge of preserving biodiversity.
Industrial Logging and Deforestation
Land use and land use change has been identified as a major challenge in the preservation of biodiversity within PNG. The rights of communities and indigenous peoples to land and resources is an underlying issue, IIndustrial logging in particular has been identified ais the primary driver of deforestation and the degradation of forests. Between 1990 and 2002, recorded forest coverage decreased by 1.41% with 362,400 hectares of forest cleared annually. Since 2010, the low altitude forests of PNG have been lost at a rate of between 3-5% per annum. This loss in forest coverage has largely been attributed to the effects of industrial logging practices, manypractices many of which are illegal, as wellillegal as well as pressures from agriculture and palm oil developments.
Farming and Agricultural Practices
Agriculture is ranked as the second largest threat to forest degradation in PNG. This is compounded by the introduction of plantation style farming with palm oil and sugar cane. The practice of large-scale clearing of vegetation for the growing of crops can be particularly destructive in the case of uncontrolled burning of large areas, having major implications to ecosystems, resulting in the loss of biodiversity. A study in the Wanang conservation area found a 20% decline in bird species in the secondary forest compared to the primary forest after the land underwent slash and burn for agricultural use. At present, 87% of the population of PNG live in rural areas, with agriculture being the main source of food security, employment and incomes within these areas.
Industrial Mining and Resource Extraction
Ownership of land and resources so the profits remaining in the local economy are a key issue for Papua New Guineans. Mining is a core industry often with foreign ownership of companies. These industries not only result in large land clearances but cause the direct contamination of entire ecosystems. For example, dumping of waste from the OK Tedi Mine, occurring over the course of several decades, lead to the poisoning of 2000 square kms of forest and depleted fish stocks within the river systems. Mining and land clearance practices also contribute to landslides.
Solutions
Within PNG, the mandate for the conservation and management of biodiversity is held by the The Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). The CEPA has a legislative framework including the Environment Act 2000, the CEPA Act 2014, and the PNG Protected Areas Policy 2014. PNG currently has 59 designated protected areas, creating a network of terrestrial and marine protected areas across the country. While the regulations are good to be in place they tend to be overly complex allowing the logging industry to take short cuts and should be reviewed and streamlined with forest protection and local consultation in mind .
Tougher laws and penalties are needed to protect animal and bird species such as the Birds of Paradise to deter poaching and hunting. Tougher laws are also required to protect the flora and fauna and the forests.
Increasing the effective sustainable management practices in protected areas across the country needs to grow. Monitoring and management of the areas and training local rangers as the backbone of effective management of these areas.
Encourage local sustainable food production systems and practices to avoid large-scale clearances of land and growing of monoculture crops, especially on areas of high biodiversity value.
Responsible carbon offsetting is utilised to protect large areas of biodiversity working with local communities and traditional land owners.