National Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) has been one of the fastest growing economies globally this century with average growth rates above 6%. This rapid growth has been driven primarily by the expansion of foreign investment within the natural gas sector and high prices for PNG’s central exports many of which are transported to rapidly growing Asian economies. This growth has built on a long history of natural resources being at the centre of the PNG economy with exports and employment dominated by mining, natural gas, logging and agriculture. While this rapid growth has
In urban areas, responsibility for providing piped water and sewerage services in the nation’s capital, Port Moresby, lies with Eda Ranu, and for the remaining provincial and district towns with Water PNG (formerly the PNG Water Board). Service provision to these areas are estimated to be 89% access to safe water (little change from 87% in 1990), and 57% access to safe sanitation (down from 89% in 1990)1. Access to services in urban areas struggle to keep up in the face of rapid urban population expansion.
The New Guinea region evolved within the obliquely and rapidly converging Australian and Pacific plate boundary zone. It is arguably one of the most tectonically complex regions of the world, and its geodynamic evolution involved microplate formation and rotation, lithospheric rupture to form ocean basins, arc-continent collision, subduction olarity reversal, collisional orogenesis, ophiolite obduction, and exhumation of (ultra)high-pressure metamorphic rocks.
In September 2001, the National Executive Council (NEC) directed the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (NDAL) to develop a medium term National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP). Accordingly, NDAL, having consulted all stakeholders and the wider community within the agriculture sector, formulated the plan with technical and financial assistance from the GoPNG and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations under the Technical Cooperation Program (TCP No. 3003A).
With 3.8 million cubic meters of tropical wood exported in 2014, primarily to China, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has become the world’s largest exporter of tropical wood, surpassing Malaysia, which had held the top spot for the
past several decades.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country emblematic of the challenges facing developing rainforest nations in the Global South. Despite its rich natural resources (recent surveys indicate that between 50% and 70% of the country’s 46.4 million hectares remain covered with largely undisturbed lowland rainforest) and a relatively stable political climate, the country remains extremely poor, with an estimated 40% of the population living on less than $1 a day (Allen, 2010; AusAID, 2010; Shearman et al, 2010; UNDP, 2006).
Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most significant areas of tropical forest in the world. These forests are, however, under threat from commercial logging, clearing of land for agricultural commodities, mining or the expansion of small-scale agriculture to meet the livelihood needs of the country's largely rural population.
PNG Threatened Endemic Plants and Animals Species. This was published as part of 5th CBD National Report.
Fifth National Report on the Species richness of PNG and world higher vertebrates
The total area in PNG gazetted under Conservation for both marine and terrestrial environments only represents about 3.8% of the country's land area.
Comparisons of the countries with the largest forest areas (representing 90% of the global primary forest area reported to FRA, 2015
Figures are for wild and ranched species of both freshwater
and saltwater crocodiles
The Island of New Guinea is the largest tropical island in the world and contains the third largest tropical rainforest after Amazon Basin and Congo basin. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a well-known centre for biological endemism and diversification. Most forests in PNG are under customary ownership and play an important role in sustaining the traditional subsistence livelihoods of most of the population. Currently PNG’s forests are relatively intact. PNG’s forest covers 80% of the country’s land area and 60% of the forest are undisturbed.