A kinder cut for New Guinea's forests

Our responsible forestry efforts require us to be both on the ground with communities and in the offices of local governments and agencies.

In the Indonesian province of Papua, WWF is working with the Provincial Forestry Office to secure 2 priorities - new regulations on responsible forest management and the establishment of priority forest management units.

We are playing a key role as advisor to the government to ensure that the regulations regarding responsible forest management are well prepared and properly implemented.

Helping set up a responsible forestry sector

Our advisory role extends into the private sector - and for good reason. Unless forestry enterprises reform their practices, it will prove extremely hard to protect New Guinea’s forest heritage.

WWF is engaged with logging companies in the TransFly area to explore the feasibility of those companies joining Nusa Hijau, the Indonesian Forest & Trade Network.  A successful outcome to this effort would send a strong signal to other logging companies.

In PNG, certification is also breaking new ground: WWF is involved with FORCERT (Forest Management and Product Certification Service) to fast-track the certification process in the country.
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Working in a constantly changing political context

But there are setbacks. In Indonesia, the constant legal uncertainty about control over forests can affect WWF’s efforts towards responsible forest management.

Often, local communities are kept uncertain about land tenure, community rights and forest management permits. As a result, we need to constantly track changes in government regulations and adjust our work in this shifting political landscape.