Ecological Internet’s international protest supporting local Papua New Guinea resistance blows the project out of the water

January 16, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Woodlark, Papua New Guinea) — Ecological Internet welcomes reports that Vitroplant, shady developer of a proposed oil palm project on Woodlark Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has withdrawn. PNG’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock says no oil palm development will take place on Woodlark Island. Vitroplant’s withdrawal was due to local and international pressure to conserve Woodlark Island’s natural habitat.

The ill-conceived project was to have cleared 70% of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some 60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive oil palm plantation. Following the direction of local peoples, Ecological Internet’s Earth action network was able to generate nearly 50,000 protest emails from 3,000 people in 72 countries.