Bulk of timber exports from Papua New Guinea won’t pass legal test

Millions of tonnes sent to China, and from there to other countries as finished wood products, should be considered 'high risk'

Millions of tonnes of illegally logged timber, felled from forests across Papua New Guinea, are being exported to China and from there to the world as finished wood products, a new report from Global Witness has revealed.

Global Witness's investigation has found that the majority of logging operations in PNG are underpinned by government-issued permits, which are often illegally "extended" and which fail to enforce laws surrounding logging in prohibited and ecologically sensitive areas.