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| Excavators clear peat forest in Kerumutan, Riau, on Tuesday to make way for a new palm oil plantation. JG Photo/Safir Makki |
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Results of
potentially explosive research by Greenpeace allege that controversial paper
giant Asian Pulp and Paper has been engaged in the pulping of protected
Indonesian rainforest trees.
Greenpeace,
in a news release, said multiple visits to APP’s Indah Kiat Perawang mill,
Indonesia’s largest pulp mill, had caught the company “systematically violating
Indonesia’s laws protecting ramin, an internationally protected tree species.”
“Greenpeace
has caught Asia Pulp and Paper red-handed — this investigation shows its main
pulp mill is regularly riddled with illegal ramin,” said Bustar Maitar, head of
the forests campaign for Greenpeace Indonesia. “This makes a mockery of their
public claim to have a ‘zero tolerance’ for illegal timber.”
Greenpeace
mapping analysis shows that since the logging of ramin was banned in 2001, at
least 180,000 hectares of Sumatran peat swamp forests have been cleared in
concessions now controlled by APP — an area more than twice the size of New
York City.
“These
forests are a critical habitat for ramin, as well as endangered species,
including the Sumatran tiger, with only 400 remaining in the wild.”
Asian Pulp
and Paper, in a statement to the Guardian newspaper, denied wrongdoing.
“(APP)
maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for illegal wood entering the supply
chain and has comprehensive chain of custody systems to ensure that only legal
wood enters its pulp mill operations. APP’s chain of custody systems are
independently audited on a periodic basis. This ensures that we only receive
legal pulpwood from areas under legal license that have passed all necessary
ecological and social assessments.
“APP’s
chain of custody system traces the origin of raw material, evaluates its legal
and environmental status, to minimize the risk of contamination and to ensure
that endangered species are protected – in accordance with the laws of
Indonesia.”
Greenpeace,
in its statement, said the research revealed that “major companies” had been
implicated in the scandal, including Xerox, National Geographic and Danone.
It said
paper products from the companies were manufactured using paper from by APP.
“APP is
undermining the rule of law in Indonesia,” Bustar said. “Greenpeace is calling
on the government to immediately seize all illegal ramin in APP’s operations in
Indonesia. The evidence has been provided to authorities to assist in their
efforts to improve governance in the forest sector. Any company buying from APP
should distance themselves from this illegal rainforest scandal and stop buying
from them until they clean up their act.”
Greenpeace
said the evidence had been handed to the Ministry of Forestry and would also be
passed to the police in Indonesia.
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