BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
CHIEFS of San Jorge Island are seriously concerned over the government’s decision to grant Sunrise Limited Investment Ltd approval to harvest the endangered tubi tree, questioning the rationale behind endorsing a company previously found guilty of illegal harvesting.
Speaking on behalf of the chiefs, Pual Fota said the community is shocked that both the Director of Environment and Conservation and the Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology have signed off on the latest gazette orders permitting the company to resume operations.
Fota said Sunrise Investment Ltd’s history with the people of San Jorge has been problematic, adding that its prior conviction for illegally harvesting tubi should have automatically disqualified the company from further approvals.
“We are dumbfounded with the reasoning of the government. We thought these people are well-educated but our judgement was wrong.
“To allow a company that has been found guilty to go back and do the harvesting is something else. Where is common sense here? Are we that dumb?” he said.
Fota insisted that it is time for responsible authorities to exercise sound judgement rather than signing off on approvals without proper consideration of the consequences.
Fota’s comments follow a report by Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) highlighting two legal notices published in Extra-Ordinary Gazette No. 136 on 1 October 2025, which collectively grant Sunrise Investment Ltd permission to harvest tubi at Korona, San Jorge Island.
According to the report, Legal Notice 419 — issued by Director of Environment and Conservation Joseph Hurutarau under Section 8 of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act 1998 — declares Sunrise Investment Ltd an approved person for exporting tubi for a period of 12 months. The approval allows the company to fell tubi (Xanthostemon) trees for export, having met requirements under Regulation 9 of the Wildlife Protection and Management Regulations 2008.
Legal Notice 420, signed by Environment Minister Polycarp Paea, grants approval to the company’s submitted management programme under Section 6 of the same Act, officially endorsing it as an Approved Management Programme.
The new approvals add to a growing number of authorisations issued in recent years despite tubi being a protected species found primarily in Isabel and Choiseul provinces. The increasing frequency of such approvals has raised environmental concerns, with TSI particularly alarmed that Sunrise Investment Ltd — given its past breaches — has once again been entrusted with harvesting rights.
Chiefs of San Jorge say they will continue to question the ministry’s decision and are calling for greater accountability from government agencies tasked with safeguarding the country’s natural resources.
For feedback, contact: [email protected]
