A FOREST resource owner group from East Sepik will send a 27 members delegation to attend the 28th Conference of the Parties or COP28 (climate change conference) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled for Nov 30 to Dec 12, 2023.
They comprise the Hunstein Range Holdings Limited (HRHL), the umbrella company of the 164 Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs) of forest dwellers who inhibit the 521,000 hectares of dense tropical forest that houses the April Salumei REDD+ pilot project in PNG.
The April Salumei project – which got the initial blessings of late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare in 2008 – is a hallmark innovation of PNG that places the country on the map of rainforest nations. The Grand Chief later became the co-Chair on the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CFRN).
In May, 2009 the Somare Government witnessed the official signing of the April Salumei project Agreement between HRHL and Earthsky Limited, a financial broker responsible for carbon sale.
AUTHENTICATION.
HRHL is the original proponent holder of the April Salumei REDD+ project, has a treaty with UNFCCC, holder of Verified Carbon Standards (VCS) license, holder of the Forest Management Area (FMA) permit and the PDD (project development document), has several NEC decisions about its authentication, and is recognized and operable with the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA), the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), and Bank of PNG as its identified Financial Institution.
DELEGATES.
The HRHL will join 70,000 participants including business leaders, young people, climate scientists, indigenous peoples, journalists, and various other experts and stakeholders from the 199 ‘parties’ (member countries) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) who will attend the two week event.
COPs.
The UN Climate Change Conferences or COPs take place every year and are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change with almost complete membership of every country in the world who come together to agree on ways to address the climate crisis, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
POSITION PAPER.
In Dubai, HRHL is expected to make a presentation on the activities of the April Salumei project. With backing from its identified Financial Institution, HRHL will seek funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), about USD$100 billion is up for grabs.
Apart from Green Climate Fund (GCF), HRHL is also confident in securing funding from other sources including APX, German Government International Climate Initiative Fund, Sichuan Forestry Fund of China, and PIP from GoPNG.
HRHL objectives have been in three primary areas: i) Climate – avoid GHG emissions from planned deforestation and timber harvest, ii) Community – improved health standards, education, transportation, employment opportunities, etc; and iii) Biodiversity – maintenance of habitat to maximize biodiversity.
THE RIFT.
It has not been an easy ride, understandably for a project of such magnitude. A rift in the top echelon of HRHL hindered work programs following the passing of founding Chairman, late Jackson Yagi in August, 2013.
One faction of HRHL was led by Januarius Sami while the other by Jacob Tom.
RECONCILIATION.
Last week – 14 Nov, 2023, the two factions of the HRHL decided to end their differences and joined in a landmark reconciliation in Port Moresby after 10 years at loggerheads. The brokering of peace and reconciliation can be attributed to Mr. Brian Casley Tapi, original project consultant in the April Salumei project.
Januarius Sami was elected as Chairman for an interim six months period with specific tasks to lead the company. Among these tasks is to lead the Dubai trip.
CARBON COWBOYS.
During the ‘rift’ period, ‘carbon cowboys’ abetted by local politicians and elites took advantage of the situation and hijacked the purpose, role and function of the HRHL even to the extent of listing the April Salumei project on the APX – voluntary carbon exchange market in the United States without the knowledge as well as consent of the resource owners on the ground. Even if the purported consent was granted to these ‘carbon cowboys’, it was done under duress and false pretense.
That scheme was identified in the APX registry as UPN – 0998C6F3 and is currently managed by Rain Forest Project Management Limited headed by Steven Hooper and it’s two local directors.
The matter was brought to the attention of the Government. In October, 2016 Cabinet revisited NEC Decision 106/2012 and in its Decision 216/2016 rescinded NEC Decision 106/2012 and removed Steven Hooper of Rain Forest Project Management Limited and its two local directors from managing and developing the April Salumei REDD+ project.
However, in a peculiar twist of events, another NEC decision 63/2019 rescinded the Decision 216/2016 and reinstated Decision 106/2012 which effectively reinstated Steven Hooper and his Rain Forest Project Management Limited again on the April Salumei project.
According to the (climate change) Ministerial brief, the ‘carbon cowboys’ had registered some 1,032,650 Estimated Annual Reductions (EAR) – which are Carbon Credit units that were exchangeable under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) equivalent of 1tCo2 e – on the APX VCS registry in the following Environmental Management Account under Project I.D 1122.
The brief further stated that “it currently has a present net value of USD$10,326,500 per annum at USD$10.00 per unit. No audit has been conducted by National Planning, Forestry, or the Office of Climate Change to verify the actual sales of these carbon units. Also, there was no funds from this sale has gone to the actual landowners on the ground”.
Januarius Sami has priority task in taking control of HRHL’s assets in the APX scheme and would require every support of the PNG Government.
The currency of the Carbon Securities listed on the APX had expired on 16th June, 2016 and a new Verification needs to be conducted.
HRHL seeks funding to go towards hiring of consultants to reassess, rewrite and resubmit the Project to the APX.
SHOOTING AT AMBUNTI.
The need for a new Verification has brought Steven Hooper through a proxy team back in Ambunti last week to renew the consent of the April Salumei resource owners. He took authority from the NEC Decision 63/2019. But there was resentment by the community resulting in the shooting on the leg of two youths by armed policemen who had escorted the proxy team into the area.
The victims were admitted at Ambunti hospital however it could not be established at the time of print whether the community has laid a formal complaint with police against Steven Hopper. See photos of the injured youths.
