Papua New Guinea Case Study Notes
In
Over 9,000 species of plants,700 bird species
and 250 mammal species
The rainforest is particularly valuable to the
nearly 6million inhabitants of this area because it contains lots of natural
resources (gold, copper, crude oil, Mahogany timber).
It is also valuable because the country is poor with a GNP of only $2900
and with high infant mortality of 48 per 1000, 57% adult literacy and high
numbers of population per doctor (1 doctor per 12,500 people).
The rainforest has been
exploited by -
Concord Pacific, a massive Malaysian firm, who are involved in logging in PNG.
In December 2001 the controversial firm gained a new logging permit allowing the
company to log three kilometres (1.86 miles) on either side of an 831 kilometre
(516 miles) long road corridor. This allows the c0ompany to exploit some very
valuable timber.
The rainforest is being
sustainably developed by -
Chevron, a TNC oil company from
the
The
The Maisan people are some of the original
inhabitants of PNG.
They live
around the
pristine
Greenpeace – have protested against concord Pacific and their logging
operations, and are only interested in environmentally friendly ways of
protecting the forest while sustaining the livelihood of the ethnic groups.
The PNG government have changed.
They set up a National forest plan in 1996 which allowed logging and
development to take place.
The new
government, headed by Michael Somaire, has banned this and only wants
sustainable development of its resources.
It has established National; parks and
The Rainforest
Coalition, which aims to bring together both LEDCs and MEDCs for the purpose of
creating community-driven, environmentally sustainable economic growth.