Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most significant areas of largely-intact tropical forest in the world, although these forests appear to be facing acute and imminent threats. Forests are also a vital resource for the local population particularly in the remote rural areas of PNG, providing food, fibre, building materials, and support a variety of wildlife and ecosystem services.
A mechanism for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) being developed through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides an opportunity to support PNG’s efforts to reduce levels of deforestation and help to maintain and protect its natural forest. PNG has been a leading proponent of REDD+ at the international level and has made considerable progress towards developing the capacity to engage in an international mechanism on REDD+. This progress has initially been supported by the UN-REDD Programme and is now being aided by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) through a project that will run until the end of 2020.
However, agricultural expansion poses a threat to areas of forested land in PNG. Agriculture is a mainstay of the PNG economy and thus represents a key area for economic growth and stability. The sector accounted for 19% of total exports and 25% of GDP in 2010, as well as forming a major part of rural economy on which 80% of the population directly depend. increases in land clearance for agriculture are likely to increase in a country with population growth of over 2%, increasing global demand for agricultural commodities and only 4% of land area currently dedicated to agriculture when an estimated 30% is considered suitable for agriculture.
A report on sustainable commodity production in PNG, commissioned by FCPF in 2016, found that sustainable agricultural commodities production can provide strong benefits for PNG's people, economy and the environment by increasing employment, protecting the environment and associated livelihoods and health benefits, helping to secure and diversify the exports market, and securing foreign exchange.
In particular, the palm oil sector is one in which the UNDP can support the PNG with a positive trajectory towards sustainable palm oil production. Palm oil is the primary source of agricultural export revenue in the country and is likely to have the most impact on forest cover change in the short to medium term due to its currently unregulated expansion. It is therefore proposed that PNG’s National REDD+ strategy which was endorsed by the Government of PNG in May 2017, will focus its efforts on abating the impacts of this sector.
The sustainable commodities assessment which was carried out in 2016 set out two recommendations:
- development of a national policy for sustainable palm oil;
- establishment of a multi-stakeholder PNG Palm Oil Platform (PNGPOP).
In 2017, the FCPF project conducted a follow up assignment to take stock of the above recommendations and prepare a list of policy options through rigorous multi-stakeholder consultations and a high-level meeting. The participants of the high-level meeting agreed to the following vision for the palm oil sector: “To position PNG as the global leader for sustainable palm oil production, by producing palm oil in a way that sustains and advances economic growth, is respectful to the environment and landowner rights, yields social benefits and improves PNG’s market competitiveness for its primary agricultural export”.
Thus, as a way forward, there is a need to establish PNGPOP to strengthen smallholders’ capacity through increased productivity, improve environmental management, support government strategies to develop the agricultural sector, protect forests, enhance biodiversity conservation, mitigate and monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, facilitate social responsibility through empowering local communities and enhance mediation systems, identify standards for wider acceptance, and improve market access in the country and abroad.
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