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 Win

Guest: Eddie Tanago Paine from ACT NOW! For A Better Papua New Guinea

Links:

OC Index - Papua New Guinea country profile.

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Additional Links:

Mongabay - Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New Guinea

The Guardian - From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timber

Global 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 destroyed

The Guardian - Papua New Guinea landowners fight against logging