Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§17 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Under the FMA (Fisheries Management Act 2015), the export or import of fish and fish products is subject to licensing. The Act provides for the establishment of: a Fisheries Licensing Committee, tasked with making recommendations on the grant, renewal, suspension and revocation of licences; a Fisheries Appeals Committee, to hear appeals from decisions on licensing; and, a Fisheries Advisory Council, to make recommendations on matters relating to fisheries conservation, management, development and sustainable use. The legislation provides for the establishment of a fisheries Management and Development Fund to receive funds from foreign fishing vessel access fees. The fund is not operational. A health certificate is required for all export shipments, for quality control purposes. There is a 10% royalty tax on fish caught within the EEZ. An exemption from the royalty tax applies to processed fish, with a view to encouraging local transformation.
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Keywords
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Fish
Conservation
Sustainable
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§18 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Solomon Islands is a member of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) , which controls about 50% of the global supply of skipjack tuna, the most commonly canned tuna. Since 2010, members of the PNA have been using a Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) to manage their tuna stock. [11] Its purpose is to constrain and reduce catches of target tuna species, and increase the rate of return from fishing activities through access fees paid by distant water fishing nations (DWFNs). Under the VDS, members agree on a limited number of fishing days for the year based on the status of tuna stocks. Days are allocated to countries which then sell them to the highest bidder. When apportioning fishing days, provisions are made for regional fishing arrangements to which the PNA members are a party. Since 2015, the minimum benchmark fee for foreign fishing vessels is US$8,000 per fishing day (up from US$6,000 in 2014).
[11] The Vessel Day Scheme replaces the purse seine vessel number limit of 205 set under the Palau Arrangement for the Management of the Western Pacific Purse Seine Fishery (Palau Arrangement).
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§19 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) members also use a number of measures to manage their stock; protect the marine ecosystem; and, combat illegal, undeclared and unreported (IUU) fishing. These include: closures of high seas pockets; seasonal bans on the use of fish aggregating devices (FAD); satellite tracking of boats; the presence of an observer on all purse seiners. Since January 2016, PNA members launched an initiative to levy a fee of US$1,000 per fishing day on each ship that sets FADs.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§22 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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Between 2010 and 2015, forest area in Solomon Islands declined at an annual average rate of 0.3% to 2,185 hectares, covering about 78.1% of the land area. It is a major source of revenue for the various stakeholders – export duty revenue for the Government and royalties for landowners – and source of livelihood for a large proportion of the population. However, forest resources are projected to be completely depleted by 2020 if there is no active reforestation. There are two commercial forest plantations in the country: Kolombangara Forest Products Limited with a production plantation of 14,237 hectares, and Eagon Pacific Plantation Limited with a production plantation of 10,000 hectares. Like in most sectors, the land tenure system seems to be a major constraint for the establishment of large-scale forest plantations. Enforcement of legislation in the forest sector is poor in most of the provinces. Huge discrepancies between officially recorded log exports and imports reported by major trading partners (Section 1.6) point to a strong prevalence of under-declared or illegal logging.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§23 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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The Ministry of Forestry and Research (MFR) is responsible for the overall management of the forest resources of Solomon Islands. It is also responsible for drafting and implementing forestry legislation, and monitoring, auditing and inspecting logging operations and shipments. The Solomon Forestry Association (SFA) is the association representing the forest industry in negotiations with the Government. By law, all logging companies are required to be a member of the SFA. Member companies pay an annual membership fee of SI$1 per cubic metre of log exports.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§24 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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The Forest Resources and Timber Utilization Act (FRTUA) 1999 provides for the conservation of forests and the improved management of forest resources, the control of timber harvesting, the encouragement and facilitation of sustainable forestry activities, the establishment of plantations, and the domestic processing of timber. A licence from the Commissioner of Forests is required for all felling of trees and milling. Felling licences are issued for a five-year term at a cost of SI$10,000, and are subject to an annual licensing fee of SI$10,000. Licensees are required to post a bond of SI$250,000 to be established with the Pan Oceanic Bank (POB) or a guarantee from any commercial bank before commencing operations. They are also required to submit annual harvesting plans and obtain consent ("Development Consent") from the Director of Environment.
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Keywords
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Forest
Natural resources
Sustainable
Conservation
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§25 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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The MFR (Ministry of Forestry and Research) has the power to declare certain land areas to be a state forest or a forest reserve. In February 2015, the Government announced a moratorium on new registrations and applications for logging business activities. However, it has not been implemented. The Government is also providing a freight subsidy to help businesses get the timber to the port in Honiara. Other policy tools include market intelligence and the provision of storage facilities.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§26 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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During the review period, the Forestry Development Strategy 2009-13 was the main policy framework for the sector. The policy objectives for the sector included: reviewing the legislation; promoting downstream processing of forestry and the timber industry; encouraging reforestation and smallholder plantation schemes; establishing parks and conservation areas and encouraging participation in initiatives aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+); and encouraging medium- to large-scale plantation development, in partnership with landowners.
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Keywords
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Forest
Emissions
Conservation
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§27 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
Export licences |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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The export of round logs is administered by the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI), in collaboration with the MFR (Ministry of Forestry and Research). Exporters must be granted "Specific Authority" by the CBSI, after receiving clearance from the MFR. In 2015, 819 applications by log exporters for "Specific Authority to export" were approved by the CBSI, covering a volume of 2.7 million cubic metres of round logs and a value of approximately SI$2.2 million. For timber products other than round logs, a permit to export is required. The permit is issued by the Ministry of Forestry and Research. A phytosanitary certificate is required for markets where fumigation is required. The export of some key commercial species, such as vitex (Vitex cofassus), kwila (Intsia bijuga), and rosewood (Pterocarpus indicus), in roundwood form is prohibited. They can only be exported as processed timber. Some species such as ngali nut (Canarium indicum) and tubi (Xanthostemon melanoxylon) may only be exported with approval from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology.
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Keywords
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Forest
Environment
Climate
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/349 |
S-IV§29 |
Solomon Islands |
2016 |
Sectors |
Other support measures |
Forestry |
Relevant information
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The Protected Areas Act 2010 and the Protected Areas Regulations 2012, which came into force in 2012, aim at fulfilling Solomon Islands' commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under the legislation, any group of landowners can apply to the authorities to create a protected area on their land. NGOs and the Government can also apply to create a protected area. The legislation defines five types of protected area, depending on their purpose: natural reserves, natural parks, natural monuments, resource management areas, and closed areas. Commercial logging and mining within protected areas are prohibited. The Protected Areas Regulations 2012 prescribe activities that are prohibited or restricted in a protected area. A Protected Areas Advisory Committee (PAAC) is tasked with the responsibility of advising the Government on related matters, and granting permits for activities such as biodiversity research or bio-prospecting research in protected areas.
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