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| Greenpeace activists wearing uniforms bearing the stripes and color of the endangered Sumatran tiger are seen in this photo riding their motorcycles close to a truck loaded with logs in Bengkalis district, Sumatra. (AFP Photo/Ulet Infansasti/Greenpeace) |
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The
Forestry Ministry has denied allegations by Greenpeace that a high-profile pulp
and paper company is logging valuable ramin trees in Riau.
Darori, the
ministry’s director general for forest protection and nature conservation, said
on Monday that Asia Pulp & Paper was not responsible for the logging of the
ramin, a tropical hardwood species.
“These
trees are indeed being logged, not by APP but by suppliers for APP,” he said,
adding that the move on the part of the suppliers was “a mistake” because
ramin, typically used for furniture, was unsuitable for pulping.
“And
besides, cutting down ramin trees isn’t a crime,” Darori said.
He also
said that APP had put aside the logs that it had received and could not do
anything with them because “they don’t have an economic value.”
Ramin is
the most valuable tree species in Indonesia, selling for $1,000 per cubic meter
when exported.
Darori said
it was regrettable that Greenpeace had raised the allegations without providing
any proof. He said such claims could simply be part of a “trade war” against
APP.
Greenpeace
raised the issue in a report in February titled “The Ramin Paper Trail,” in
which it noted that the tree species was legally protected under national laws.
“Since
Indonesia banned the logging and trade in ramin in 2001, more than one quarter
of this ramin habitat [in Sumatra’s peat forests] has been cleared — much of it
from areas currently supplying APP,” the report said.
However,
Darori said the logging of ramin was allowed as long as a permit was obtained
from the Forestry Ministry.
In its own
declaration of sustainability, APP says it is committed to “unequivocal
compliance with national and local laws and relevant international
regulations,” with “zero tolerance for illegal wood in our supply chain.”
Earlier
this month, the company announced that as of June 1, it would suspend natural
forest clearance while carrying out high conservation value forest assessments.
Once completed, “We will protect all identified HCVF areas,” it said.
However,
environmentalists have called the announcement yet another case of
“greenwashing,” arguing that APP has already cleared “most of the natural
forest on concessions covered by this announcement.”
“APP once
again has chosen to invest in greenwashing instead of meaningful change in the
face of increasing and widespread condemnation of its forestry practices,”
Nazir Foead of WWF-Indonesia said on Monday.
“Our
analysis suggests that this limited moratorium will have little impact, since
APP has already cleared 713,383 hectares or almost all of the natural forest in
its own and affiliated concessions in Riau.”
WWF
estimates that out of the remaining 206,412 hectares, only 22,000 hectares
would be affected by the announcement, while the rest were “already designated
or by regulation must be protected.”
It said
that if the company really wanted to reduce its footprint on Sumatra’s tropical
forests, APP should immediately issue a moratorium on the use of natural forest
fiber by any of its pulp mills.
“Only if
APP immediately extends this moratorium to cover the full wood supply of all
its mills and demonstrates a real commitment to changing its forestry
practices, WWF would welcome it as a sign that the company is taking steps to
join the ranks of responsible paper companies,” Nazir said.
Antara, JG++
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