Not long ago, I wrote a story for Mongabay about an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea that is chockablock with globally endemic species but has an extremely uncertain future.
Lured by its high-value timber, a company called Kulawood Limited has submitted a forest clearance application to clear-cut 40% of Woodlark island. Needless to say, the consequences for the island’s rare biodiveristy and local people would be dire.
Back when I wrote it, the story picked up quite a bit of attention. Somebody started a petition that has since been signed nearly 140, 000 times, urging the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority to reject the forest clearance application.
I’m somewhat agnostic about whether petitions can actually do much to help in situations such as these but in this case I’d be very happy to proven wrong. In fact, back in 2008, a global letter-writing campaign proved effective in stopping half of Woodlark island being converted to oil palm plantations.
Here’s a video we made about the situation unfolding on Woodlark island.
You can sign the petition here.
The banner photo on this article is of Oreophryne phoebe, one of many endemic frogs found only on Woodlark island. Photo courtesy of Fred Kraus.
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