Isabel Women Take Loggers to Court Over Significant Environmental and Livelihood Damage

Although logging in Solomon Islands is considered a ‘sunset industry,’ the sun is far from setting, especially in the Hograno Highlands of Isabel Province.

Two years ago, King Solomon Development Company and its licensor, Isabel timber Company, faced protests from residents of Kolomola and neighboring communities over controversial logging activities on their customary lands.

Since then, these communities have struggled to hold loggers accountable in court over the significant environmental and livelihood damage. The fight has been uphill, with residents adjusting to the damages, and grappling with the costs of the independent environmental impact assessment, legal fees, and logistical challenges. The case was finally brought before the High Court in August this year.

At the forefront of this case is Nakrupe Ulu, a local women’s organization in the Hograno Highlands. With members from Alualu, Kolomola, and Tuseli communities, this group have been mobilizing, fundraising, and organizing for this case.

The focus of the group’s case is not on challenging land boundaries, but the devastating impact on livelihoods, from gardens and key forest trees and plants to vital waterways like the Kaipito river that sustain many communities in the Hograno district. An elder who witnessed the destruction commented, “In my entire life, I have never seen such destruction to our lands.”

The independent assessment report concluded that defendants’ “reckless and harmful activities” caused significant damage to wildlife habitats and floral diversity that will take several decades to a century to fully recovery, necessitating substantial and costly rehabilitation measures.

The members of Nakrupe Ulu, are outraged with the defendants’ ‘no care attitude’ for environmental laws and logging regulations. “Logging itself is not the problem; breaking the law and betraying promises to the communities is. All operations must follow environmental regulations, license conditions, and their approved development scope. The consequences of failing to do so are what we have witnessed in our communities–and this is what we stand against,” says Sandra Thegna, the President of Nakrupe Ulu.

Witnesses reported seeing logging machinery drag logs across key waterways, a direct breach of any legal logging license. They captured photos and videos of these actions, which have been added to the extensive body of evidence submitted to the Court.

However, simply following laws and making promises is not enough according to Alualu resident and group member Roselyn Gaeta. In Isabel’s matriarchal society, women hold a well-established right to land, yet she expressed dismay that, since the outset, women were sidelined in the logging decision-making process. She explained, “Without consulting me and other women is akin to stepping over a person, which is tabu.”

The first hearing of the case has concluded, and the Court is now awaiting the defendants to file their response by 22 April 2026.