Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc

25/08/2026

HOLLOW VICTORY FOR WANIGELA VILLAGERS FIGHTING DESTRUCTIVE FOREIGN LOGGING

A decision by the Environment Council in 2022 to uplift the suspension of an environment permit allowing logging operations under the Wanigela Agro-Forestry project was both wrong in law and made without lawful authority according to a recent National Court decision.

But in a bitter sweet decision for local communities, the court has refused to reverse the decision to uplift the suspension, which means logging operations can continue for at least another 8 months until the expiry of the permit.

This is despite claims by the customary resource owners from Wanigela village in Oro Province who brought the legal action, that the logging is causing ongoing destruction of their forests and pollution to the river systems and water sources that they rely on for their daily survival.

Landowners were represented in court by Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc

Read more here- https://actnowpng.org/blog/hollow-victory-for-wanigela-villagers-fighting-destructive-foreign-logging

23/08/2026

PRESS STATEMENT

National Court Confirms Unlawful Environment Council Decision in Wanigela Case

The customary landowners of Wanigela (Semorer) Village welcome the National
Court's decision delivered on 14 August 2026, which found that the Environment Council and CEPA acted unlawfully in uplifting the suspension of Environment Permit EP-L2(543) issued to Northern Forest Products Limited, the developer of the Wanigela Agro-Forestry Project in Wanigela, Tufi LLG, Ijivitari
District, Oro Province

Learn more:

National Court Confirms Unlawful Environment Council Decision in Wanigela Case Leave a Comment / By admin / August 21, 2026 Press Statement on the Wanigela caseDownload

21/08/2026

A good turnout!

Thank you so much to those who attended the side event on Pacific Environmental Lawyering.

🌿🌳👩‍⚖️⚖️

20/08/2026

Pacific Environmental Lawyering in Practice 🌱🌊👩‍⚖️⚖️

To those attending the LAWASIA Environmental Law Conference at APEC Haus. Join us downstairs this Friday 21st August from 12:45pm -1:15pm, come hear how environmental lawyering is practiced across the Pacific at international, regional, and domestic levels.

CELCOR principal lawyer Evelyn Wohuinangu and senior litigation lawyer Vicky Amoko will be joining international lawyer Watna Mori of Blue Ocean Law/ the Centre for Melanesian Law and Governance. Together, they’ll share frontline experiences of defending our environment and communities.

The session will also feature the documentary “Fighting Not Drowning.”

19/08/2026

17/08/2026

Gasfield Clans Withdraw Consent for Papua LNG Project! 🏗✋

Landowners from the gas extraction site have formally withdrawn their consent for the Papua LNG project, demanding a new, independently supervised Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process and an investigation into the conduct of consultants.

Concerns about hidden documents, lack of transparency, and violations of their rights remain unresolved. Critical information including environmental permits and human rights assessments has not been made public. Meanwhile, the rushed Development Forum excluded independent observers and left landowners without resources to engage their own experts.

Read more here:

Gasfield Clans Withdraw Consent for Papua LNG Project Leave a Comment / By admin / August 17, 2026 The Gray Dorcopsis is one of 27 threatened terrestrial species in the Papua LNG project area. Photo: Micha Baum (CC-BY-SA) A recent report published by BankTrack and several environmental groups highli...

14/08/2026

Community voices on the Papua LNG Project risks

🗣️ “How well can they protect and minimise the risk that is involved during the construction phase, after the construction and the decommissioning part of it?”
Meg Heako from Mareke village.

🗣️ “The developer hasn’t given enough information about what they’re going to do.” Joseph Irae from Paivara and Maerava villages

Joseph added that his community wants development, but many do not fully understand how the Papua LNG project would impact them.

🌿 His biggest concern was the environment:
“The environment speaks to the people. People listen to the environment. We survive from it. We learn from it. We live with it. And when we die, we go back to the land.”

Read more:

Global oil and gas giants are rushing to green-light a massive LNG project on Australia's doorstep as war in the Middle East forces countries to look for alternative energy supplies.

12/08/2026

APPLICATION FOR THE BELOW POSITION IS CLOSED!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE APPLIED 😊💚

📢 WE'RE HIRING | Join CELCOR Team!

Are you passionate about environmental justice, human rights, and creating positive change in Papua New Guinea?

The Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc. is recruiting for the position of;

✅ Policy Lawyer

📍 Location: Ori Lavi Building, Level 3, Office 10B, Boroko, Port Moresby

📅 Application close August 11th, 2026

👉 Scan the QR code for Job Descriptions or visit our website

🔗https://www.celcor.org/careers/

🗳️ Send application to [email protected] or deliver them at our office

06/08/2026

APPLICATION FOR THE BELOW POSITION IS CLOSED!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE APPLIED 😊💚

📢 WE'RE HIRING | Join CELCOR Team!

Are you passionate about environmental justice, human rights, and creating positive change in Papua New Guinea?

The Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc. is seeking motivated and committed individuals to join our team in the following roles:

✅ Legal Secretary

✅ Admin Assistant (Driver)

This is an exciting opportunity to work with Papua New Guinea's public interest environmental law and advocacy organization, supporting communities to protect their environmental and customary rights through community legal education and direct legal assistance.

📍 Location: Ori Lavi Building, Level 3, Office 10B, Boroko, Port Moresby

📅 Application close August 6th, 2026

👉 Scan the QR code for Job Descriptions or visit our website 🔗https://www.celcor.org/careers/

🗳️ Send application to [email protected] or deliver them at our office

Together let's build a more just and sustainable future for Papua New Guinea.

06/08/2026

Ocean Health and Legal Capacity in the Pacific ⚖️🌊

Throwback to June when our Policy Lawyer Miss. Jewels Mopafi joined 18 ocean leaders and legal practitioners in Suva, Fiji, for the discussion on "Charting the Waters and Surfacing Solutions: A Regional Roundtable on Ocean Health and Legal Capacity in the Pacific" from June 2–3, hosted by Asian Research Institute for Environmental Law (ARIEL) and the Environmental Defenders Office

With 17 out of 19 participants being women, this strong female representation ensured that deliberations on marine conservation were grounded in women’s rights, community-first approaches, and gender-inclusive perspectives.

Key takeaways from the roundtable included the need to bridge customary and statutory law by integrating traditional ocean stewardship into formal legal frameworks.

The roundtable also highlighted the importance of protecting environmental defenders through the initiative “Guardians of Moana,” which aims to safeguard defenders across the Pacific.

Participants further emphasized the need to strengthen capacity building by developing dedicated funding for civil society lawyers and expanding community legal literacy.

Also the need to localize climate and ocean Advisory Opinions from the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea so that they can support grassroots advocacy and community-led ocean protection.

Learn More: https://www.celcor.org/regional-roundtable-on-ocean-health-and-legal-capacity-in-the-pacific/