PNG’s Garden of Eden 巴布亞紐幾內亞的伊甸園

What would you do if you saw a guy with a chainsaw start cutting down trees in your front yard? Then he yells over the noise, and tells you that a big company now owns your land for the next 99 years.

如果你看到有人拿著一把電鋸開始砍下你家前院的樹，你會怎麼做? 接著他大聲吵鬧的嚷著，告訴你有個大公司現在已擁有你的土地，擴及往後九十九年。

A child from a village in West Pomio holds up a banner calling on the PNG governemnt to spot the logging immediatley.

來自West Pomio地區的孩童，舉著標語請求巴布亞紐幾內亞政府立即停止伐林。

This is a place where, people live at one with their environment. A place with no rubbish and clean rivers and fresh air. A place where people really appreciate what they have. This is truely paradise.

這是一個人與自然一體共存的地方；一個沒有垃圾、有潔淨河水和清新空氣的地方；一個人們真正感激他們所擁有的一切的地方，這裡真的是個天堂。

Let me introduce you to West Pomio, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. Paradise is how it looked from the air. The Greenpeace helicopter banked down into a valley. Highlands covered in equatorial forest, tree ferns, flocks of hornbills and parrots everywhere. Then as we flew over the ridge I saw the Bairaman river for the first time, with it's turquoise blue water flowing over white limestone.

讓我向你介紹位於巴布亞紐幾內亞，新不列顛島的West Pomio地區，從空中看起來的天堂。綠色和平的直升機往下飛進一個山谷，赤道雨林覆蓋著高原，樹蕨、一群群的犀鳥和鸚鵡處處可見，就在我們飛過了山脊，我第一次見到Bairaman河，藍綠色的河水流過白色的石灰石。

The Bairaman river could be lost for ever if the logging continues.

如果伐林活動持續，Bairaman河可能將會永遠消失。

This pristine enviroment.

這原始純淨的環境。

An ariel view of the mouth of the Bairaman river where it meets the ocean, East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, 23rd October 2011

Bairaman河出海口的空照圖。 巴布亞紐幾內亞，東新不顛省 23/10/2011

As I looked down at the pristine country a voice came over the radio, Sam Moko, Greenpeace forest campaigner saying this is what we stand to lose, if we can't stop the loggers. Then as we headed east, in the distance we could see the huge tracks of land being cleared.

就在我往下看著這原始純淨的國度時，從無線電裡傳來綠色和平森林專案主任，Sam Moko的聲音，說到：如果我們不能阻止伐林者，這些就是我們必須承受要失去的。隨著繼續往東飛，遠處可見一大片土地被砍伐殆盡的痕跡。

Logging roads start to shape the landscape.

伐木的道路開始形成新的地景。

Ancient trees being loaded onto ships bound for Shanghai, China.

老樹被運上即將開往中國上海的船。

More logs

更多的原木

An excavator works the ground next to a palm oil nursery, after forests have been cleared in West Pomio, East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, 24th October 2011.

在雨林被砍伐之後，一台挖土機正在棕梠樹苗圃旁工作。 巴布亞紐幾內亞，東部列顛省 West Pomio地區 24/10/2011

According to the villages of West Pomio, a 99 year lease for their land has been signed without the consent of the right full landowner, to one of the worlds most notorious multinational logging companies Rimbunan Hijau operating under a front or subsidiary company called Gilford Limited.

根據West Pomio地區村民的說法，這個九十九年期的土地租賃在沒有得到土地所有人的同意下，就簽給了世界上最惡名昭彰的跨國原木公司Rimbunan Hijau，並由其第一線的公司，或子公司Gilford Limited來經營。

Greenpeace was invited to Pomio district by the landowners to help them fight for an injunction in the nations capital, Port Moresby, exposing the corrupt lease system now rampant in PNG. I not anit-developemnt but this is such a tragedy for the planet if we let this one go.

綠色和平受Pomio區地主的邀請，來幫忙他們對抗從首都莫爾茲比港下來的強制令，揭露在巴布亞紐幾內亞內猖獗的腐敗租賃體系。我不是反對開發，但如果失去這個地區，將會是地球上一個怎樣的悲劇。

Back in 2003, the PNG Department of Lands and Physical Planning has approved 74 Special Purpose Agricultural and Business Leases (SABLs) covering about 5.2 million ha of forested customary land; 11% of PNG’s total land area or about 18% of its remaining forest. Most leases run for 99 years and alienate customary owners who can only remain on their land at the discretion of the leaseholder. About 97% of land in PNG is held under customary ownership; therefore, SABLs pose a significant threat to land use and customary ownership in PNG. SABLs were established to increase economic activity and empower local communities. It was anticipated at the time that customary landowners would benefit from rental payments, employment opportunities and increased welfare services and facilities. SABLs are also referred to as lease-lease back schemes as the government leases land from customary owners and communities and then leases the land back to corporate entities. Some of these entities are land owner companies or Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs), but many are logging and agriculture corporations, of which most are foreign owned. In 2007, sections of the Forestry Act were amended to enable project development companies to also harvest the forest under a Forest Clearance Authority (FCA) – formerly harvesting contractors were decided by tenders. FCAs have been issued for approximately 2 million hectares of forest in existing SABLs. This promotes the exploitation of native forest resources without requiring PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) approval and adherence to existing forestry regulations. SABLs are therefore an avenue to circumvent prevailing efforts to reform the forestry industry in PNG, which has long been plagued by allegations of mismanagement and corruption. Gilford Limited received a Forest Clearing Authority in 2009 and landed at West Pomio with logging equipment in late 2010. Logging has continued since then with about 8 shipment of round logs exported to China. About 200,000 palm oil seedlings wait to be planted on the leases. The project is claimed to be worth K500 million (235 million USD ) and will see 40ha of the 44,000 ha site cultivated by the end of 2011. See PDF 

The children of Lau village in West Pomio, East New Britain, PNG.

Lau村子裡的孩童。巴布亞紐幾內亞，東部列顛省 West Pomio地區

Once in Port Moresby, Greenpeace and several land owners presented their case with a petition to a government minister, Ken Fairwheather who received on behalf of the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill. Then the minister presented the petition at the National Executive Council meeting and no action has been taken from that moment until now. It's all now in the hands of 'Commission of Inquiry' to complete their investigation and present their findings to the government and hopefully to take action. On the ground, the logging continues to this day. See video

曾經綠色和平和多位地主，在莫爾茲比港將他們的處境和請願書，遞交給代表總理Peter O'Neill的政府部長Ken Fairwheather，這位部長將請願書呈至國家行政院的會議，但至此之後都沒有出現任何動作。現在就等調查委員會完成他們的調查，並將其他發現呈交政府，希望可以有所行動。但在當地，伐林活動到今天依舊持續著。參閱影片