Tree DNA marker may curb illegal logging

Tree DNA marker may curb illegal logging

Fabio Scarpello, Contributor/Jakarta

Indonesia's massive illegal logging problems are a subject of much attention worldwide, and with very little being done to curb it, a new high-tech tool, using DNA markers, may be the answer.

Luca Tacconi and Giovanni Vendramin are two of the top experts on the new technique, and are taking part in the Indonesian- Italian workshop on "Wood research and industrial needs for the forestry wood sector" to be held here from May 17 to May 19.

The workshop falls under the umbrella of the 2004-2007 Executive Program of Science and Technological cooperation between Indonesia and Italy, and is jointly organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology (Ristek) and the Embassy of Italy in Jakarta.

According to a joint report presented by the London-based Environmental Investigative Agency (EIA) and the Bogor-based Telepak, deforestation in Indonesia claimed two million hectares of forest in 2002.

This is a rather optimistic estimate compared with Forest Watch Indonesia's (FWI) belief that 4.1 million hectares of forest was laid to waste in 2003, up from 3.8 million hectares in 2000. Everybody, including the government's forestry department, agrees that 80 percent of deforestation is illegal. Unless the trend is inverted, the World Bank predicts that by 2010 there won't be any forest left in Kalimantan and North Sumatra.

Undoubtedly, the war against illegal logging is not a war Indonesia should and can fight alone, and the world at large needs to take part. The G8 -- a group of the eight most industrialized countries -- consumes 74 percent of the world's forestry product exports, but is often unconcerned about its source.

Accidentally, according to EIA, Italy is Europe's main importer of illegally logged wood and especially ramin, an endangered tree growing in Indonesia and Malaysia. In Italy, it is used to make picture frames, for which the country is the world leader.

However, Indonesia's main grievance rests with Malaysia and Singapore, which are accused of importing Indonesian logs and breaching a ban in place since October 2001.

On 10 May, President Megawati was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying that it was difficult to fight the widespread illegal logging across Indonesia, and neighboring countries were to blame for encouraging the problem. This, and similar comments made by other politicians, do not convince Doctor Luca Tacconi.

Tacconi is a Senior Economist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor. His knowledge of local environmental issues adds weight to his doubts.

"Every time illegal logging is discussed, the Indonesian government claims that the area to patrol is too big and that neighbors are not helping. This is an easy way out. I am not doubting the difficulty of the task faced by Indonesia. What I am doubting is the government's approach and focus and whether there is a real political will to stop the problem," Tacconi said.

According to Tacconi, by far the largest quantity of illegal logging is used in Indonesia. He firmly points the finger at pulp and plywood industries: "In 2001, pulp and plywood industries produced goods that required the use of some 50 million cubic metres of timber -- above the maximum annual harvest set by the government, which currently stands at 6.5 million cubic meters. It is obvious that this was illegally harvested. On this basis, why isn't the government focusing its efforts on these sectors?" Tacconi asked.

To enforce Tacconi's point, eight out of eight sawmills that were randomly inspected by the Ministry of Forestry in a recent program were found to be using illegally logged timber.

Tacconi added: "Indonesia's 100 million hectares of forest are impossible to patrol, and the government would be more effective in monitoring the mills rather than the forest. There are 14 pulp paper mills and between 50 to 80 plywood mills which together use 73 percent of the total timber harvested in Indonesia. If the government placed guards at their gates and checked the documents of the incoming timber, it would achieve better results."

Ways to detect the source of timber range from the rudimentary stamping of each log, to the high-tech bar coding currently run as a pilot project in East Kalimantan. At the workshop, Vendramin spoke of the possibility of using DNA markers to identify commercial timber and its origin.

Vendramin is a researcher at the Institute of Plant Genetics in Florence, Italy. Scientific jargon aside, he said to "think of it as a DNA test to assert the paternity of a child. We take a DNA sample from the man and the child and see if they match. The only difference when it comes to trees, is that we need to create a database of tree DNA beforehand.

Once that is done, the process is easy. We take samples of wood or manufactured wood products worldwide, and match them with the DNA markers in the database. In this way we will know where it comes from, and if the area was earmarked for harvest."

The advantage of such a method is that it may help to set up better controlling systems that can be used by exporting as well as importing countries, and by public agencies as well as the private sector. The disadvantage is that it is still rather expensive and would require a consistent investment.

"Prices are coming down fast, and together with other organizations we are lobbying the European Union (EU) to adopt it as a standard control method," Vendramin added.

In Indonesia, the EU has long been involved in a concerted effort to limit illegal logging. In the last decade, help has been provided in the form of more than 100 million Euros with extra funds recently allocated.