Samuel Kime, a customary landowner of natural forest in Papua New Guinea’s border province with Indonesia, fears that contentious logging permits allegedly dominated by Malaysian-linked companies will strip his community of its food, culture, and spirit.

A new report, “Malaysia’s Timber Colony: Exposing Malaysia’s Grip Over Papua New Guinea’s Forests”, reveals that Kime’s fears reflect a nationwide crisis in which at least 97 percent of the forest-clearing licences are tied to Malaysians or Malaysian-linked interests.