Think Tank: Illegal Logging in Papua New Guinea Getting Much Worse

Despite a report that shed light on rampant illegal logging in Papua New Guinea two years ago, which was followed by government promises to crack down on the practice, the situation is worse than ever, according to the Oakland Institute, an American think tank.

Oakland Institute Spokesman Frederick Mousseau told Radio New Zealand the organization’s latest research shows that foreign companies are exporting 40 percent more timber from the country compared with two years ago. Despite the increase in exports, the companies have been reporting that their losses have more than doubled, “which doesn’t make sense at all, from a mathematical, economic perspective,” Mousseau said.

“They don’t declare any profit, or barely any profit, and despite this Papua New Guinea has become the [biggest] exporter of tropical timber. It is far above any other exporter in the world today.”