In Solomon Islands, some logging companies say the Government has failed to take the lead in reforestation in logged out areas.
The SIFA Secretary told the Solomon Times that the country would have had sustainable logging had the Government took the lead in utilizing the 7-percent timber levy first imposed by the Government in 1983, to meet reforestation requirements.
The Secretary of the Solomon Islands Forest Association, Kaipua Tohibangu, said the Government had not put in the revenue raised from the levy either for reforestation or rehabilitation of natural forests, but still expected logging companies to take the lead in reforestation.
He said that the Government also had the option to discuss the levy with loggers with the view of revising it upward, but the Government failed to do so, possibly because it hadn't used the revenue for the intended purpose.
