1. The Impacts of Logging in the Solomon Islands
Pic to be taken in Marovo Log pond

2. INTRODUCTION
Logging in the Solomon Islands means cutting timber trees in a given area to sell to overseas.
The logging industry is mainly run by Asians who own machines and logging businesses.
They make agreements with custom land owners who grant them the rights to harvest trees on their land.
Logging in the Solomon Islands began more than 30 years ago on the Islands of Guadalcanal, Malaita and Western province and later spread to other parts of the country.
Forests are harvested at an alarming rate making a threat to timber supply to the fast growing population of Solomon Islands .

3. Forest cover has decreased greatly,
The loss of forest risks the environment, economics, and social life.
The rate of logging means our country will run out of fores. This would be a disaster.
Although logging can bring cash benefits to the people, it also causes many changes.
It is very important that logging does not badly damage water, soil and forests.

4. WHY LOGGING IN SOLOMON ISLANDS?
Custom owners see logging their forests gives quick money to meet their immediate needs.
GETTING QUICK AND EASIER MONEY!

5. MAP OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

6. Economy Advantages of Logging
Land-owners get royalties, a market for garden crops and sea food
Clearing of land enables land-owners and tribal groups to start agriculture projects –planting of trees, cocoa, betelnut; also tourism, fisheries.
Gain knowledge and skills of management and mechanics from working for companies, so they can run their small businesses ,income to manage their families and meet daily needs.
Employment e.g log scaler, security, mechanics, driver, house keeping
Learn by seeing things

7. Several marine resource sold to companies by villagers to get income
Source: Mary Tahu

8. Economy Disadvantages of logging
Economically land-owners are at a disadvantage –company gets 60%, government 25%, Licensee 3% and landowners (royalty) 12%. By comparison the company and government get the biggest share of every shipment, while the landowners get only a small amount.
The oversea-markets for logs set the prize of the logs while land-owners do not have any say in the price of their logs.

9. Goods and services provided by the company are very expensive ,putting land-owners at disadvantage.
Example, normal price of a 20kg bag rice in Solomon Islands is $180. The company sell a 20kg rice at $300. Landowners advance bags of rice and deduct from the royalty, leaving only small amount of royalty for distribution.

10. Logs piled at a Log Pond and later shipped in barges for export at Marovo lagoon, Western Province
Source: Mary Tahu

11. Social Impacts Advantages of Logging
Widen or extend social relationships with other ethic groups e.g. Asians and government agencies e.g. Ministry of Forestry and Research.
Mixed-marriage with Asians produced mixed race population- ‘half-half’pikininni.
Strengthens custom laws and kinship ties and relationships between families and tribes.
Familiar with laws like kinship , customary laws- dispute amongst tribes thus familiar with ownership of land

12. Social Impacts Disadvantages of logging
Logging associated with alcoholism causes fighting, disorder and breaking down of social norms and values.
Increased land disputes cause insecurity, disturbance to school and families that hold society together.
Affects family relationship causing ‘cold-war’ divisions, and ‘rich-poor’ gap in communties.

13. child sexual abuse and prostitution;
unwanted pregnancies.
Malaysians sometimes take underage girls as second wives, abandoning them when it is time to return home.
Spoiling of sacred and burial sites.

14. Environmental Impacts
Destruction of environment disturbs forest trees and important habitats ; Greater loss of species e.g canoe trees, carving/medicine trees ; damage to breeding grounds of fish.
Logging causes waste pollution from plastic, tins, iron materials and even oil spill from the broken down machines.
Destruction of water sources makes river-water undrinkable which implies death of river species.

15. Inland soils suffer from erosion and lose nutrients.
Other forms of damage due to overuse of available land e.g Log trucks make ground hard, unsuitable for growing crops
constant risk of foreign pests e.g snails, beetles and weeds etc. . .
Some people think that history will show logging to be a worse disaster than all cyclones, earthquakes and ethnic tension in our first 40 years as a country

16. Negative Impacts of Logging to the Environment
Water pollution from run offs
Soil erosion during heavy rainfall
Aerial view of logging tracks in the Western Province
Source: (Raomae 2010)

17. ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT LOGGING?? THINK CAREFULLY
What will we really get in the long term?
Will we really be better off in the future ?
Will our land and sea be protected if logging occurs?
How can we be sure that my community gets all the benefits?

18. THANK YOU