Overview
This project aimed to advance the development of germplasm sources and smallholder-friendly silviculture systems for teak (PNG) and sandalwood (PNG and Cape York Peninsula) to provide new opportunities for enhancing smallholder livelihoods in these regions and achieving PNG’s plantation development target.
In Australia’s Cape York Peninsula, where sandalwood occurs naturally, there are often limited options for commercial development. However, research has showed that incorporating sandalwood into existing indigenous land management systems and extending this into commercial plantings, would provide an opportunity to use a common tree species for economic development.
As many smallholders in PNG seek alternative cash crops, there is potential to develop appropriate tree growing regimes, like sandalwood, that complement their existing agricultural activities.
The rich biodiversity of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) natural forests provides many of the products that sustain the livelihoods of the people of PNG. While strong international demand for such products has resulted in the depletion of natural timber sources across the country, the rising demand opens opportunities to establish smallholder-based planted resources to service those markets.
