Comments on: Anatomy of a deal: The April Salome REDD project in Papua New Guinea

By: Dr. Clement Malau

Dr. Clement Malau — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:20:14 +0000

Just to let everyone know that the real people of April Salome are not and havenot been informed of this project. The people of Wagu, Nigiru, Kagiru, Gahom, Bitara, Bugapuki are lost because a few individuals have taken them for a ride.
Proper briefing of these people need to be conducted.
I hope the real indigenous people do not miss out on what is righfully theirs.
These people own that land and therefore it is out of respect that they be properly briefed.

By: Chris Lang

Chris Lang — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:27:31 +0000

@Benjamin Basa – I just tried to send you an email but got this response:

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

benjibasa@****.com

Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 554 554 delivery error: dd This user doesn’t have a ****.com account (benjibasa@****.com) [-5] – mta194.mail.sp2.****.com (state 18).

By: Benjamin Basa

Benjamin Basa — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:15:49 +0000

My fathers and I are landowners of very large land mass of virgin forest in the Kabwun district of Morobe, PNG.
We as landowners would like be well informed about REDD and the business of carbon trade in the latest form, and especieally the policies made for such a trade. We want to be well informed in order to avoid being conned or fooled by “so called” carbon trade investers who deal voluntary or mandetory.please reply to this email.

By: Uli

Uli — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:34:40 +0000

One thing that always comes if there is money to be made is greed, unfortunatlly it destroys something good in this case. But there are other ways. I am working on a REDD project and including directly other reforestation/ afforestation projects with it to get income to the small farmers and landowners. For the forest protection we involve people who make their income now with illegal logging. This was a biggest hurdle to get them on our side since there is no other source of income. Overseen of the local area is being done by the majors of each specific area. Monthly inspections by us determine the amount paid into the community based on the reduction of illegal logging. In addition money is going into the communities for sustainable reforestation/afforestation. This again brings future income with the possibility to build legal sawmills, charcoal making, furniture shops etc. as long as it is sustainable managed and income provide to the families in those areas.
Not to forget, we are going to make money too, but not as much as in Papua New Guinea, and not immediately.

By: Tom Pringel

Tom Pringel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:17:42 +0000

In PNG 97% of the Land Area and certainly 99.9% of the forest areas are owned by the local landowners. There is no two way for someone or the government to say I am the landowner. Land tenure systems in PNG are very complex with over 845 cultural groups who speak totally different languages. In PNG a lot of tribal wars have been fought over land related issues.
It won’t be any easy for REDD to take precedence if landowners totally some millions are not considered or involved in the initial phase of such (REDD) development. Unfortunately, REDD could possibly become a paper REDD unless the issue is addressed from bottom up approach and certainly landowners need to be seen as benefiting from their forest. Otherwise it is all hot air talk right now.
According to the Jungle Law Book, “You can only do business in areas where you have your foot prints left”. Therefore, If the Government, so called consultants and carbon brokers have been as far as Port Moresby than that is where their bucks stops, “You have not been to PNG”. PNG forests are the lifeline of local communities and no one will speak on how they should live their life’s.
Let me finish by asking those who seem to take a front stage to respond to this questions;
What is the process and procedure for local landowners to participate in REDD initiative (that is a policy and law question, does PNG have a policy and law on REDD?
What is the check list for the local landowners to be involved needs to do to become a disciple of the REDD initiative?
What is your offer to the landowners in exchange for the use of their forest in the REDD initiative or what is the benefit sharing agreement and arrangement?
Are local landowners being protected from exploitation?
Above all who’s interest are we discussing here?
It will be a shame and a waste of time if we cannot adequately answer those questions.
Most importantly, if the REDD issue gets the blessings from developed nation in December 09 in Copenhagen, REDD could become an hot issue for tropical rain forest nations whilst developed nations can keep on pumping hot air laden with GHG. Sometimes one wonders if civilization has taken precedence over intelligence on whether or not we are fighting a losing or a winning battle against Global Warming.

By: Chris Lang

Chris Lang — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:36:05 +0000

@Ben, these are good questions – but I think you need to address them directly to the organisations involved: Earth Sky, Climate Assist PNG, the Office of Climate Change, Hustein Range Holdings, South Pole Carbon Asset Management and the April Salome Sustainable Forest Management Project Foundation. REDD-Monitor would love to hear their replies.

By: Ben Sone

Ben Sone — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:36:53 +0000

Dear Sir,
I am a final year student of the University of Technology studying ‘Communication for Development’. I am writing my dissertation(final year degree paper) on ‘Communicating awareness of the procedures and processes used and applied particularly in the financial transaction of Carbon Trade. That means that, the cash from the sales of carbon credits by the developed country to the developing country. Please answer questions like, how and through what process or steps would be applied to bring the money from carbon credits buyers to the rural forest and landowners.Identify the middle men that are eligible to transfer funds from the donors to the rural forests and landowners and their respective responsibility.

Your assistance is appreciated.

Yours truly

Ben Sone

By: Peter Simbakua

Peter Simbakua — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:32:03 +0000

PNG has no national framework in place to date on carbon trade. OCCES was too quick to venture into REDD especially for April Salome. Landowners regard the Deal with Earthsky, Hunstein Range Holding Limited and OCCES an illegal one. In the heart of the 521,000 hactares of untouched rainforest of April Salome, lies the 220,000 hactares of Wildlife Management Area (WMA) under PNG Consfervtaion Law – Fauna Protection (and Control) Act. The area is in National Gazette since 1997. The Villages of Igai, Wagu and Gahom from the Bahinemo Tribe owns the area. I being a principle landowner there have no idea about whats happening. The carbon deal is done without knwoledge and consent of the entire villages of April Salome and not just the WMA. WMA is a legal entity in the area, which means 220,000 of the 521,000 hactares of forest is not accessible by Hunstein Range Holdings Limited and therefore will never be accessed by the earthsky, or South Pole as its agent. Local people have demonstrated their opposition to deforestation and thus by REDD definition, WMA is qualified for it. FMA is forgetable dead concept for WMA villages. Hunstein Range Holdings Limited is led by Jackson Yagi who do not have support from all villages of April Salome. Therefore it is important to know that Hunstein Range Holdings and deals it makes will always have carry high degree of errors on landownship and forest accessibility rights. I think OCCES should provide an enabling environment as a government agency for the landowners themselves to particpate in the carbon credit markets whether it be REDD or CDM Projects. Finally we are not happy to learn of the existence of an entity called April Salome Sustainable Forest Management Project Foundation. This is a monster we are not aware of. Please help give me information. Should you need to know more about the standing of the local people, tell me know.

By: Rolinson

Rolinson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:30:47 +0000

Wari Iamo to head OCCES? This is double trouble. This man is no different from Theo Yasuase. He has the same interests as Theo Yasause.

Wari Iamo wanted this job all along, but Theo Yasause took it away from him. Now he gets it back on a golden plate.

When OCCES took away Climate Change from DEC, Wari Iamo restructured DEC to make money through the golden triangle and other means. The restructure of DEC, which is yet to approved, will see DEC become a money making body rather than a regulatory body. Wari has removed conservation from DEC since it does not make any money for the department.

Now that he has OCCES under him he be laughing all the way to the bank. Wait till you see what happens.

May the God of Israel save this country and its people from people like him.

By: Chris Lang

Chris Lang — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:43:19 +0000

Thanks for your questions Matt. The project covers 521,000 hectares according to the April Salome project website, which states that "The project aims to avoid the deforestation of intact lowland rainforest, leading to the avoidance of emissions of 12,650,000 Tco2 per year over the project’s lifetime of 30 years." South Pole Carbon Asset Management put a new information leaflet on its website earlier this month (and has removed the information about April Salome from the section of its website in the screenshot above). The information leaflet (dated 9 June 2009) includes the following statement:

Currently South Pole is acting as PDD developer for the Papua New Guinean April Salome Sustainable Forest Management project and supports it in the carbon development cycle. By entering the REDD carbon market local landowners aim to generate funds to be used for projects that support sustainable livelihoods. Such funding would replace the income streams that would alternatively come from handing out logging concessions to international logging companies. This has been common practice in Papua New Guinea, and logging concessions have been planned in the project area since 1996. The project aims to be registered under the VCS, which sets clear rules for REDD projects, if a suitable methodology for Avoided Deforestation and Forest Degradation projects is approved under the VCS in the near future. No carbon credits have been issued so far, and therefore no issued carbon credits can yet be sold. The project also aims to be registered under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS), but its validation, verification and registration process has not yet been concluded.

You could try asking South Pole Carbon Asset Management for a copy of the Project Design Document.