Reforming Forest Planning and Management in Papua New Guinea, 1991-94: Losing People in the Process

A. Simon Montagu

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2001, vol. 44, issue 5, 649-662

Abstract: Throughout the 1990s, forest planning and management in the south-west Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) underwent an unprecedented period of reform. This paper evaluates the outcomes of this reform process against the backdrop of the country's unique system of land tenure. As the result of a long history of formal recognition of the rights of customary landowners, 97% of PNG remains under the ownership of the country's indigenous population. Despite this, indigenous landowners have historically been excluded from forest planning and management. A key question that arises as a consequence is what, if anything, the most recent reforms did to address this situation. The answer, unfortunately, is very little. This paper offers an equityoriented assessment of the key reforms to forest planning and management. The assessment suggests that the PNG government missed an unprecedented opportunity to redirect forestry toward the localized, developmental needs of the people at the centre of the entire forestry enterprise: PNG's traditional village communities.

Date: 2001
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DOI: 10.1080/09640560120079957

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