About 97 percent of land in Papua New Guinea is under customary tenure, and the majority of the population relies directly on forest for their livelihood About 78 percent of the country is still covered by forest, but deforestation and forest degradation have been increasing in recent years Recognizing the significance of tropical forests and the importance of their protection, Papua New Guinea was one of the first countries to take the global lead in seeking to combat climate change, by proposing measures to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (“Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries".