15 Mar 2005

Forestry interests in Solomon Islands say there is an urgent need for law changes to control logging

8:12 pm on 15 March 2005

Forestry interests in Solomon Islands say there is an urgent need for legislation to control the logging industry.

But they say the current Forest Bill, drawn up over the past three years under the guidance of AusAid and back by a coalition of NGOs, is unworkable.

The Solomons Forest Association is this week holding a conference outlining the impact of the bill on landowners.

Spokesman John Beverley says there are too many companies in the country and they need a code of practice.

"we do have a code of practice. It's not bad but it is not as tough as it might be, but you are not seeing the devastation here that you are seeing elsewhere in the world, or the traditional photographs. There is a reason for that of course, - if all the trees, the commercial trees were chopped down now, and every company had to close, - there was no more commercial forest, that would concern just 25 percent of the total forest of the Solomons."

The SFA is tomorrow producing a newspaper to explain their view.