Two children swim in a mangrove swamp beside a site where
Two children swim in a mangrove swamp beside a site where a Malaysian logging company Rimbunan Hijau (RH) loads timber on to barges for transport to offshore transport ships. Residents claim that oil spills and leaks from machines have damaged the local fishing economy and water quality. Turubu Bay, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive in recent decades and is continuing at an estimated rate of 1.4% of tropical forest being lost annually. It is mainly a result of illegal logging, which contributed to 70-90% of all timber exports, one of the highest rates in the world. Almost one third of the country has been leased to foreign logging companies, many on century-long agreements. Dozens of logging firms have signed land deals under a government scheme called Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABLs). With the SABL scheme, foreign companies have found a new and relatively easy way to open new areas for logging. Nearly all logs are being exported to China.
As a result of the active logging, some provinces of Papua New Guinea are now facing loss of biodiversity, as many species lose their habitat or can no longer live in the small fragments of forests that are left. New roads that provide access to settlers and loggers into the PNG forests cause widespread fragmentation of rainforests. These fragmented landscapes cannot support wildlife the same way intact habitats do, and the area become more vulnerable to droughts and fires.
Modified climate and loss of water cycling affect not only animals, but also people that live in logging areas. Deforestation reduces the critical water cycling services provided by trees. When rainfall reduction is added to the natural variability that characterises rainfall in the region, the resulting droughts may have major environmental impacts. Locals report that their sego palms are dying, fish disappearing, landslides destroying their roads, and abandoned and fallen logging bridges block rivers and prevent water streams passing to the areas where they have their gardens.
Photo by Vlad Sokhin @lens_pacific for @everydayclimatechange selected by @_justine_muller #PapuaNewGu
Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive in recent decades and is continuing at an estimated rate of 1.4% of tropical forest being lost annually. It is mainly a result of illegal logging, which contributed to 70-90% of all timber exports, one of the highest rates in the world. Almost one third of the country has been leased to foreign logging companies, many on century-long agreements. Dozens of logging firms have signed land deals under a government scheme called Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABLs). With the SABL scheme, foreign companies have found a new and relatively easy way to open new areas for logging. Nearly all logs are being exported to China.
As a result of the active logging, some provinces of Papua New Guinea are now facing loss of biodiversity, as many species lose their habitat or can no longer live in the small fragments of forests that are left. New roads that provide access to settlers and loggers into the PNG forests cause widespread fragmentation of rainforests. These fragmented landscapes cannot support wildlife the same way intact habitats do, and the area become more vulnerable to droughts and fires.
Modified climate and loss of water cycling affect not only animals, but also people that live in logging areas. Deforestation reduces the critical water cycling services provided by trees. When rainfall reduction is added to the natural variability that characterises rainfall in the region, the resulting droughts may have major environmental impacts. Locals report that their sego palms are dying, fish disappearing, landslides destroying their roads, and abandoned and fallen logging bridges block rivers and prevent water streams passing to the areas where they have their gardens.
Photo by Vlad Sokhin @lens_pacific for @everydayclimatechange selected by @_justine_muller #PapuaNewGu
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