Practical solutions to help protect precious forests

By Nigel Sizer

JAKARTA (JP): East Asian ministers, together with officials from Europe, Japan and the United States, are gathering in Bali this week to explore how they can combat illegal logging.

Indonesian leadership in this issue is sorely needed and we must applaud their offer to host the conference. Studies estimate that over half of the commercial timber cut in this country is illegal. That hurts the economy, disrupts the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in Indonesia, and harms the environment. The good news is that there are some cheap and practical steps that could be taken to help address the problem.

A top priority for Indonesia's policymakers is to get the economy back on track. Reducing illegal and unregulated logging is a piece of the puzzle that must be addressed.

Indonesia is the largest exporter of tropical timber in the world. About one-tenth of export earnings come from timber. Every one of the tens of millions of cubic meters of timber that is cut and sold illegally represents losses in revenue that should be going to the local and national governments. This adds up to billions of dollars out the window at a time when schools, hospitals and other public services are sorely in need of cash.

Tens of millions of Indonesia's poorest people live on the margins of forested areas. For generations, the forests have been a source of food and shelter, especially during lean times. Loss of this resource through heavy-handed, illegal timber cutting will eliminate a key social safety net that nature has provided for free. This could further push the rural poor into the already congested cities in search of work and sustenance.

In addition, there are the concerns of environmentalists.

The tropical rain forests of this country are the most important biologically in all of Asia. Their conservation is of global concern and much foreign funding is available to Indonesia from private donors and aid agencies to help manage forests carefully.

Many might call this a "luxury" or even "environmental imperialism" in a region where so many live below the poverty line. But poor forest management contributes to massive wildfires, flooding, landslides, and loss of traditional forest- based livelihoods. These impacts in turn hurt the local economy. Good environmental and economic stewardship go hand in hand.

There are three concrete steps that the government of Indonesia could take that would go a long way to reduce illegal logging. First and foremost would be the arrest and prosecution of the dozen or so biggest multimillionaire illegal timber traders. The Ministry of Forestry knows who these people are. They need political support to take the next step. Reeling in the big fish would send a strong signal to others that business as usual is no longer acceptable.

Tracking technology

A second step that could be taken quickly would be to contract one of several private agencies that specialize in export certification to independently track timber shipments.

Simple and cheap technology using computerized bar codes exists to label and track timber from the forest to the port and to exclude illegal sources. We use the same technology every time we go to the supermarket. Papua New Guinea, another tropical timber exporter with less trained experts than Indonesia, has been successful with this approach. That country has seen a dramatic rise in timber tax collection and reduction in illegal activities as a result.

Thirdly, special attention should be given to the timber trade with Malaysia. There are many documented cases of collaboration between Malaysians and Indonesians to smuggle illegal timber from here to Malaysia where it becomes "legal" and is sent on to a third country. Cooperation between authorities in the two countries could cut these strategic smuggling routes.

Illegal logging is also something that rich importing nations must take some responsibility for. Like the drug trade, there would not be illegal timber export if people elsewhere were not buying the stuff. Europe, Japan and the United States all import large amounts of illegal timber from Indonesia. Importers claim they cannot differentiate between legal and illegal sources because the shipments all have "clean" paperwork when they arrive. Such willing international participation in the trade should be addressed.

Concrete steps that importers could take would be to insist on independent certification of the legal origin of the timber. This follows easily once timber-tracking systems have been put in place, as described above.

Secondly, customs agencies could be given the power to turn back shipments where there is reasonable doubt about the origin of the product. And finally, wealthy countries should substantially increase financial and technical support to Indonesia and its neighbors to help deal with illegal logging.

The British government has already gone far in this respect, and others would do well to follow their lead.

All of the steps described above would help Indonesia's economy get back on track, generate meaningful and long-term jobs, and help to protect unique natural heritage. Let us hope that the beauty of Bali serves to inspire the decisionmakers gathered there to take these small but significant steps.

The writer is the director of the Asia Pacific Forests Program for The Nature Conservancy.