Asia Pacific Forests Crime Network targets illegal logging

The third Asia Pacific Forests Crime Network (APFCN) conference recently convened at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. Organized by Jubilee Australia in collaboration with the Cairns Institute, the gathering brought together thirty-five specialists, lawmakers, and regulators to address illegal logging networks in Melanesia, specifically targeting issues in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

During the summit, Papua New Guinea Oro Province Governor Gary Juffa highlighted significant failures in the nation’s timber industry oversight. Juffa noted a critical lack of resource tracking, stating that for more than thirty months, Papua New Guinea has been unable to monitor its own log exports. He has called for experts to join a special panel later this year to address these systemic deficiencies.