Papua New Guinea and Illegal Logging | The Index Podcast

Papua New Guinea, the island nation in Oceania, is rich in biodiversity. But the rainforests that cover the country are also sought after by logging companies, sometimes illegally. PNG is the largest exporter of timber to China, where it is then distributed around the world.There are a number of criminal markets that are particularly prevalent in PNG - financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crime. But in this episode, we will focus on illegal logging, because Papua New Guinea sits second globally for flora crimes at 8.5 out of 10.Presenter: Thin Lei WinGuest: Eddie Tanago Paine from ACT NOW! For A Better Papua New GuineaLinks:OC Index - Papua New Guinea country profile.The Global Organized Crime IndexGlobal Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeAdditional Links:Mongabay - Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New GuineaThe Guardian - From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timberGlobal Witness - In a historic win, Papua New Guinea acts against logging tax cheats. What happens next?Al Jazeera - Papua New Guinea’s forests are being destroyedThe Guardian - Papua New Guinea landowners fight against logging