Neighbors mute on illegal logs

Neighbors mute on illegal logs

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Indonesian efforts to curb the export of illegal logs met with opposition on Tuesday as several countries suspected of purchasing the timber were unwilling to raise the issue at the current UN meeting in Bali.

State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim said on Tuesday that many countries benefited from weak law enforcement of the illegal logging issue.

He said there were some countries that stockpiled their logs before selling them to a third country.

"We cannot expect those countries to help us raise the issue at this meeting," Nabiel said.

A staff member at the office of the state minister of environment said that Indonesia had tried to reach out to neighboring countries through the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), but that effort failed.

Countries, such as Malaysia, were apparently reluctant to discuss illegal logging, because the ministers sent to Bali had no authority to discuss the issue.

"We are concerned about illegal logging but, unfortunately, it is not under my authority to comment on that issue. You can ask my colleagues," said the Malaysian minister of science, technology and environment, Dato Seri Law Hieng Ding.

Indonesia is seeking support from timber importers not to buy illegal logs from Indonesia.

Nabiel said most European countries were willing to sign an agreement with Indonesia not to buy wood products that did not bear stamps indicating their country of origin to ensure that they were not illegally logged.

"Curbing illegal logging activities needs to be conducted from both ends, the supply and the demand. It is difficult to enforce the law by cutting off the supply when there is a continuing demand," Nabiel remarked.

Without naming countries, Nabiel said those benefiting from the country's illegal timber trade would not bother with its cry for help as they did not want to lose out on profitable business.

"We cannot expect those countries to sign any agreements to cut the demand of illegal logging. So we have to do it another way," Nabiel said.

Indonesia has been fighting a losing battle against illegal logging practices, which has cost the country over US$3billion in financial losses.

Illegal logging has also caused serious environmental damage to the forests.

Forest Watch Indonesia chief Togu Manurung said on Tuesday that the country lost almost two million hectares of forest every year because of illegal logging.

"Should the activities continue at this rate unchecked, we will lose our forests by 2010," he said.

Efforts to curb illegal logging have been blocked by two major constraints, namely the continuing demand from overseas as well as problems of domestic law enforcement.

Togu called for the government to increase law enforcement to protect the forest so that efforts to fight illegal logging would not depend on the other countries' willingness to cooperate.

A source from the plywood industry said demand for illegal timber continued to increase from countries such as China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

These countries import illegal timber to feed their plywood industries as well as just to be reexported, he said.

As a consequence, many local plywood companies were forced to shut down operations as they could not receive enough timber to feed their factories.

When exports of logs were banned under Soeharto's government, Indonesia controlled the world's plywood market.