Radical measures needed to stop illegal logging

Radical measures needed to stop illegal logging

E.G. Togu Manurung, Jakarta

Forest degradation and the depletion of Indonesia's forest
resource is a continuing crisis. The rate of deforestation
continues despite all the meetings and discussions that have been
conducted so far. The commitments conveyed to the Consultative
Group on Indonesia (CGI) and the Memorandum of Understandings
between Indonesia and other countries related to the forestry
sector are still mostly words on paper with little domestic and
regional action taking place, while the illegal trade of wood
products is increasing.

Destructive logging is not a new problem; since the beginning
of legal logging operations through the system of forest-
concessions in the late 1960s until now there has never been
sustainable forest management in Indonesia. The result is that
bad forestry management and logging operations are responsible
for creating heavy forest degradation, forest resource depletion
and creating massive and life-threatening environmental problems
across the archipelago.

In the early 1980s, the rate of deforestation in Indonesia
was estimated to be one million hectares a year, in the early
1990s this increased to 1.6 million hectares. In 1996 it rose to
two million hectares and from 2000 until the present the rate of
deforestation has increased to an incredible three million
hectares a year, the highest rate of deforestation in the world.
This is happening despite the many meetings and commitments
signed made by the government of Indonesia to address the
problems in the sector, including commitments made to the CGI.

In February 2000 in this very building eight commitments were
signed off by the government of Indonesia. To date the Indonesian
government has not delivered on even one of those commitments.
The responsibility of the donor community is part of this
tragedy. Despite the fact that the government has not delivered,
donors continue to give new loans every year.

We welcome the high-level political statements made by
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Nov. 11 last year, at
Pangkalan Bun, central Kalimantan, declaring war on illegal
logging. However, illegal logging continues, including in the
Tanjung Putting National Park where the statement was made.
Illegal logging also continues in almost all other national parks
and other protected or conservation areas across the country.
Therefore, real action to combat illegal logging at grassroots
level is essential.

It is estimated that nowadays some 80 percent of total
domestic wood consumption to feed the domestic wood processing
industry in Indonesia comes from illegal logging activities. The
wood processing industry continues have an overcapacity -- it is
able to produce far more than it is legally allowed to -- and the
huge gap between the demand and supply of unprocessed wood
products is supplied with illegal logs from illegal logging
operations.

In addition, log smuggling along the border between Indonesia
and Malaysia continues. Illegal loggers send timber from
Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua to neighboring countries who then
supply international markets, including many of the donor
countries. This logging traffic is increasing and is in fact out
of control.

The definition of legality is a big problem in itself. Under
current existing laws and regulations the rights of indigenous
people are completely ignored and in fact not even part of the
dialogue.

Their communal or adat rights are not recognized by the
government. Indigenous and local people are the victims of both
the timber industry controlling illegal logging and the law
enforcement agencies who are complicit in it. They are often
accused of being involved and arrested when those who are behind
the syndicates operating within Indonesia and the region are able
to continue their illegal business with impunity. It is not a
secret who these timber barons are and many in civil society have
at great risk to themselves repeatedly fingered the culprits for
the problem.

The issue of decentralization has had a devastating effect in
the forestry sector. It has resulted in an even greater increase
of exploitation and further depletion of an important and vital
natural resource to which the people of Indonesia rely for their
livelihood and future survival.

The root cause of this is corruption and non-existent law
enforcement. In addition, the demand for cheap illegal
Indonesian timber from consuming nations continues. While we
recognize there has been a show of political will from the
European Union nations to address their collective responsibility
as a consuming region, they have not gone far enough.

Illegal logging is a crime and the only way to address this
is to bring in new legislation prohibiting illegally sourced
timber and wood products from entering the EU.

To date, the forestry sector of Indonesia still struggling
with the availability of good, accurate, and reliable as well as
up-to-date data. Data transparency is still a big problem in the
forestry sector. The Ministry of Forestry does not really know
what the real forest conditions are in Indonesia. Without a good,
accurate and reliable database it is impossible to solve the many
problems created by illegal forestry and equally impossible to
achieve sustainable forest management.

We are in a crisis, and emergency radical measures are needed
now as we are running out of time. The result, if it continues,
will be the total destruction of Indonesia's tropical forests. We
repeat, serious and emergency actions are desperately needed.
Combating illegal logging should be a top priority.

The article was condensed from a presentation by the writer,
director of Forest Watch Indonesia and Telapak, at the CGI
conference on Thursday.