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.