IPOH: A timber tycoon and his son have been charged in a Sessions Court with criminal breach of trust amounting to over RM11mil.
Tan Boon Huat, 59, who is Perak Industrial Corporation Sdn Bhd's biggest shareholder and director allegedly committed the offence at the company premises in Jalan Ipoh, Sungai Siput (Utara) on Sept 28 2009.
His son Tan Kang Wei, 33, was charged with conspiring to commit the offence. Both faced a maximum of 20 years jail, caning and possible fine, upon conviction under the Penal Code.
Judge Madihah Harullah set bail at RM800,000 with one surety each and ordered their passports to be impounded.
DPP Syed Faisal Syed Amir prosecuted while Datuk Jerald Gomez appeared for both the accused.
Re-mention was fixed for Sept 27.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
INTERPOL launches Project LEAF to combat illegal logging worldwide
LYON, France – To mark World Environment Day, 5 June, INTERPOL announces the launch of Project LEAF (Law Enforcement Assistance for Forests), an initiative dedicated to combating all aspects of forestry crime, including illegal logging and timber trafficking.
Project LEAF, a partnership between INTERPOL and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), is an innovative, international response representing the first time that organizations of this stature have joined forces against this organized, sophisticated and transnational crime.
The criminals responsible for illegal logging are destroying biodiversity, threatening the livelihoods of those reliant on forest resources and contributing directly to climate change. With corruption, violence and even murder tied to illegal logging this type of crime can also affect a country’s stability and security.
Nearly 1.6 billion people – more than a quarter of the world’s population – rely on forests for their fuel, food, and medicines. The poorer the people, the greater their dependency with more than 90 per cent of those living below the dollar-a-day poverty line either fully or partly dependent on forest products for their livelihoods. Collusive corruption and fraud in the forestry sector undermines the rule of law and confidence in government institutions significantly hampering efforts to tackle poverty amongst the world’s poorest people.
To be truly effective, actions against illegal logging must be coordinated, collaborative and transnational. Crackdowns in one country must be supported by others in order to prevent illegal loggers, who frequently have access to extensive international funding channels in addition to using illicit land, sea and air networks to switch countries and evade detection.
David Higgins, INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme manager, said: “In 2010, INTERPOL received at its General Assembly in Qatar a unanimous mandate from its member countries to expand its response to environmental crime worldwide. Project LEAF represents INTERPOL’s commitment to this mandate and to ensuring the safety and security of communities.”
“The world is recognizing that illegal logging is neither simply a moral nor a national issue. The international legislation to protect forests and curtail illegal logging demonstrates this,” he continued. “Project LEAF will ensure these global laws are supported by global enforcement and that the criminals responsible are brought to justice – no matter their location, movements, or resources.”
INTERPOL and UNEP are uniquely placed to bring new tools and experiences to the global law enforcement fight against illegal loggers and ensure a truly international net closes around these criminals dedicated to environmental exploitation and destruction.
Project LEAF will conduct groundbreaking, intelligence-led law enforcement operations against those involved in illegal logging and will work to further the skills, capabilities, and capacities of law enforcement agencies to aid countries in sustainably managing their forest resources and contribute to the fight against climate change.
Since its foundation in 1923, INTERPOL has developed a network of 190 member countries, extensive criminal intelligence databases and dedicated international communications tools supported by a vast array of knowledge, experience and expertise from coordinating international investigations and operations.
Project LEAF, a partnership between INTERPOL and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), is an innovative, international response representing the first time that organizations of this stature have joined forces against this organized, sophisticated and transnational crime.
The criminals responsible for illegal logging are destroying biodiversity, threatening the livelihoods of those reliant on forest resources and contributing directly to climate change. With corruption, violence and even murder tied to illegal logging this type of crime can also affect a country’s stability and security.
Nearly 1.6 billion people – more than a quarter of the world’s population – rely on forests for their fuel, food, and medicines. The poorer the people, the greater their dependency with more than 90 per cent of those living below the dollar-a-day poverty line either fully or partly dependent on forest products for their livelihoods. Collusive corruption and fraud in the forestry sector undermines the rule of law and confidence in government institutions significantly hampering efforts to tackle poverty amongst the world’s poorest people.
To be truly effective, actions against illegal logging must be coordinated, collaborative and transnational. Crackdowns in one country must be supported by others in order to prevent illegal loggers, who frequently have access to extensive international funding channels in addition to using illicit land, sea and air networks to switch countries and evade detection.
David Higgins, INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme manager, said: “In 2010, INTERPOL received at its General Assembly in Qatar a unanimous mandate from its member countries to expand its response to environmental crime worldwide. Project LEAF represents INTERPOL’s commitment to this mandate and to ensuring the safety and security of communities.”
“The world is recognizing that illegal logging is neither simply a moral nor a national issue. The international legislation to protect forests and curtail illegal logging demonstrates this,” he continued. “Project LEAF will ensure these global laws are supported by global enforcement and that the criminals responsible are brought to justice – no matter their location, movements, or resources.”
INTERPOL and UNEP are uniquely placed to bring new tools and experiences to the global law enforcement fight against illegal loggers and ensure a truly international net closes around these criminals dedicated to environmental exploitation and destruction.
Project LEAF will conduct groundbreaking, intelligence-led law enforcement operations against those involved in illegal logging and will work to further the skills, capabilities, and capacities of law enforcement agencies to aid countries in sustainably managing their forest resources and contribute to the fight against climate change.
Since its foundation in 1923, INTERPOL has developed a network of 190 member countries, extensive criminal intelligence databases and dedicated international communications tools supported by a vast array of knowledge, experience and expertise from coordinating international investigations and operations.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
WWF & Eyes on the Forest
“Civil Society has been collecting and analyzing data about Sumatra’s forest loss for over a decade but has lacked an easy way to share them with the public... Sumatra has one of the world’s fastest rates of deforestation driven by global commodities markets and driving global climate change. These maps provide the desperately needed transparency on conservation values and drivers of their loss. We hope they will shed light on what is really happening to our spectacular tropical island and help save it.”
— Nazir Foead, Conservation Director, WWF Indonesia
www.eyesontheforest.or.id
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
EU Flegt
Illegal Logging has a devastating impact on some of the world’s most valuable forests. It can have not only serious environmental, but also economic and social consequences. Europe’s response to the problem is reflected in the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) Action Plan of the European Union. The EU FLEGT Action Plan provides a number of measures to exclude illegal timber from markets, to improve the supply of legal timber and to increase the demand for responsible wood products. We expect the risk management to be minimized due to the fact that we purchase only from suppliers with own forest concessions. Read more
TSL Timber Sdn Bhd
TSL TIMBER SDN BHD, established in 1994 by mr. Lau Tiam Siah is one of the leading sawmills in Malaysia, specialized in Meranti for the European, Middle-East and Malaysian timber market. With an annual turnover of approximately 7,000 tons of sawntimber TSL TIMBER is aware of the importance of sustainable forest management. That's why TSL TIMBER is fully committed to the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification ( PEFC ) Mr. Lau has been active more than 35 years in the Malaysian timber business. We sell our timber to either Malaysian timber exporters and producers or via Greenwood International, which is our European representative.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Seized timber to go under hammer
THE Johor Forestry Department will auction off 27 timber logs seized in the Sembrong dam forest in February as no one has come forward to claim the logs. The timber logs of the Meranti species, each measuring 4.8m long, were seized along with 50 logs of the acacia tree and 110 logs of the tual tree were illegally harvested. They are worth a total of RM23,000, but none has been claimed since February. Department director Yahaya Mohamood said a report on the illegally harvested timber would be forwarded to the Deputy Public Prosecutor's office to allow the department to claim possession of the logs "Nobody has come to claim the timber after we sealed the area.
"But only 27 timber logs are in good condition. The others have decayed," he said. Yahaya said the department had intensified monitoring of the forest following cases of illegal lumbering activities. "So far, illegal lumbering in the forest area is under control. We hope nearby villagers will become our ears and eyes and help us to guard the forest, as it is too big for us to fully monitor at all times," he said.
"But only 27 timber logs are in good condition. The others have decayed," he said. Yahaya said the department had intensified monitoring of the forest following cases of illegal lumbering activities. "So far, illegal lumbering in the forest area is under control. We hope nearby villagers will become our ears and eyes and help us to guard the forest, as it is too big for us to fully monitor at all times," he said.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Dry season brings Sarawak fear of forest fires
KUCHING: Drought is expected to hit Sarawak from this month until September with an average of 20% to 40% rainfall expected.Second Minister Resource Management and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the average monthly rainfall deemed normal for the state was between 200mm to 300mm. “For Bintulu and Mukah, the hot and dry weather is forecast to be even more severe with average rainfall expected to be 40% to 60% below the normal amount. “This kind of weather could cause more forest fires especially in peat areas,” he told the State Legislative Assembly yesterday. To control smoke haze, he said the Government through the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), the Department of Environment (DOE), and Meteorological Department would monitor the weather and the air quality. Furthermore, he said, enforcement would be tightened to catch people who carried out open burning.
Tengah said NREB had taken the initiative to review its environmental regulations and had introduced the Natural Resources and Environment (Audit) Rules, 2008. He said the audit was to check compliance with the rules and laws set by the board. “Soon, NREB would be enforcing the law given that it had already prepared the guidelines for the Environment Audit. “It would also carry out a roadshow to make stakeholders aware of the new rules. Earlier, he said one of the main causes of haze was open burning which normally occurred during the dry season when paddy farms are being prepared. Since last January till this month, there were 352 hotspots in the state compared to 2,504 in Sumatra and 934 in Kalimantan.
Tengah said NREB had taken the initiative to review its environmental regulations and had introduced the Natural Resources and Environment (Audit) Rules, 2008. He said the audit was to check compliance with the rules and laws set by the board. “Soon, NREB would be enforcing the law given that it had already prepared the guidelines for the Environment Audit. “It would also carry out a roadshow to make stakeholders aware of the new rules. Earlier, he said one of the main causes of haze was open burning which normally occurred during the dry season when paddy farms are being prepared. Since last January till this month, there were 352 hotspots in the state compared to 2,504 in Sumatra and 934 in Kalimantan.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Malaysia: RM3bil to expand timber plantations
Malaysia will spend up to RM3bil to increase timber plantations in a bid to ensure the sustainability of wood-related industries. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that they hoped to increase timber plantations to 375,000ha by 2020. "We need to ensure the sustainability of the raw material for the wood industry. This industry is important for the country as it generated RM20bil in exports last year," he said.The wood industry contributed 14.1% of exports for the commodity industry totalling RM141.2bil last year, he told reporters at the launch of the Glu Laminated Timber gallery in Johor Baru here on Tuesday. He said that, so far, RM600mil had been spent on programmes to increase timber plantations nationwide.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Plantation timber in Sabah hit the 1 million cubic metre
KOTA KINABALU: Production of plantation timber in Sabah hit the 1 million cubic metre mark last year with a total production of 1,234,777.75 cubic metres, a first for the state, Sabah Forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said today. He said total production from plantation timber had increased by 141 per cent since 2001 with Acacia mangium showing the most significant increase at 231 per cent, making it the major plantation species produced over the last 10 years."Last year, Acacia mangium accounted for 87 per cent of the total production of plantation timber, followed by Eucalyptus grandis at 11 per cent, Gmelina arborea at 1 per cent and others at 1 per cent.
"Utilisation of rubber wood however remains small despite the extensive land clearing of old rubber plantations for replanting of new rubber trees," he said in a statement here Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd (SFI) accounted for 60 per cent of last year's production, making it Sabah's biggest plantation timber producer, followed by Sabah Forestry Development Authority (Safoda) at 16 per cent, Sabah Softwoods Bhd at 12 per cent and Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd at 11 per cent, he said.In terms of production by land status, he said 58 per cent of plantation timber was produced from forest reserves, with alienated lands at 26 per cent and state lands at 16 per cent. Meanwhile, log production from natural forests was approximately 2.6 million cubic metres, higher than plantation timber, he said, adding the state's goal of making plantation timber the major source of raw materials for the timber industry can be achieved if the current trend continues.
"Utilisation of rubber wood however remains small despite the extensive land clearing of old rubber plantations for replanting of new rubber trees," he said in a statement here Sabah Forest Industries Sdn Bhd (SFI) accounted for 60 per cent of last year's production, making it Sabah's biggest plantation timber producer, followed by Sabah Forestry Development Authority (Safoda) at 16 per cent, Sabah Softwoods Bhd at 12 per cent and Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd at 11 per cent, he said.In terms of production by land status, he said 58 per cent of plantation timber was produced from forest reserves, with alienated lands at 26 per cent and state lands at 16 per cent. Meanwhile, log production from natural forests was approximately 2.6 million cubic metres, higher than plantation timber, he said, adding the state's goal of making plantation timber the major source of raw materials for the timber industry can be achieved if the current trend continues.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Indonesia denies increased deforestation
The Indonesian government has declared that a report regarding the country’s loss of almost five million hectares of forest and peatlands since the implementation of a moratorium on deforestation is misleading.
“The report cannot be understood because it’s different from the forestry ministry’s record, which says the deforestation rate over the past few years has drastically decreased to around 500,000 hectares annually,” said Agus Purnomo, a presidential special aide on climate change on Monday. But Greenpeace adamantly claims that Indonesia is still losing forest lands at an alarming rate. “By May 2012, Indonesia could lose 4.9 million hectares of its forests and peatlands. With each revision of the forest moratorium, the acreage continues to decrease,” said Yuyun Indradi, political campaigner of Greenpeace in recent statement.
Agus Purnomo, however, cited a Forest Ministry’s report that Indonesia’s deforestation rate has decreased over the last 10 years. “We invite Greenpeace to explain its methodology used to determine the forest degradation in order to clarify the issue. Determining whether the figure is just imaginary or an accurate figure might lead to the correction of Indonesia’s deforestation rate,” Purnomo noted, adding that the dramatization of this issue could reinforce a lie.
“The report cannot be understood because it’s different from the forestry ministry’s record, which says the deforestation rate over the past few years has drastically decreased to around 500,000 hectares annually,” said Agus Purnomo, a presidential special aide on climate change on Monday. But Greenpeace adamantly claims that Indonesia is still losing forest lands at an alarming rate. “By May 2012, Indonesia could lose 4.9 million hectares of its forests and peatlands. With each revision of the forest moratorium, the acreage continues to decrease,” said Yuyun Indradi, political campaigner of Greenpeace in recent statement.
Agus Purnomo, however, cited a Forest Ministry’s report that Indonesia’s deforestation rate has decreased over the last 10 years. “We invite Greenpeace to explain its methodology used to determine the forest degradation in order to clarify the issue. Determining whether the figure is just imaginary or an accurate figure might lead to the correction of Indonesia’s deforestation rate,” Purnomo noted, adding that the dramatization of this issue could reinforce a lie.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
UTM to reforest rubber plantation
UNIVERSITI Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has engaged the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to help reforest an old rubber plantation located in its campus in Skudai, Johor, starting this year with a 10-ha area to be planted with high quality timber species.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UTM and FRIM to provide for this project to be undertaken over a period of five years was held on 30 April 2012 at the UTM Skudai campus in Johor Bahru. Representing the Malaysian Forestry Research and Development Board (MFRDB) was the FRIM Director General (DG) Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, while the university was represented by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir Dr Zaini Ujang. According to Abd Latif, FRIM will use a different planting method known as “Systematic Cluster Planting”, which allows the old rubber trees to remain and gradually be replaced with the selected species with a target density of 350-500 trees per ha. The selected timber species include meranti, chengal, keruing, merbau, nyatoh and jelutong. The reforestation project also includes the cultivation of 30 local and exotic commercial bamboo species which can be used for construction as well as the setting up of a herbal garden within the 10-ha area.
FRIM has been involved in reforestation activities for about 100 years. Its main campus in Kepong is a model for successful reforestation, making it one of the oldest and largest man-made tropical forests in the world. FRIM has also been successful in rehabilitating and reforesting an ex-tin mining area of 115 ha in Bidor, Perak, and some 50-ha of BRIS soil site in Terengganu. Recently, FRIM has also be appointed by a private firm to reforest an ex-mining area in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, using the fast tract system to plant fast-growing tree species over a period of five years. The FRIM-UTM MOU will also pave the way for the establishment of a twin campus programme, in line with the university’s aim to work towards an Eco Tropical JB Campus and the attainment of a world class quality innovative education in tropical environment.
Among others, the MOU provides for exchange of researchers, staff and students for mutual benefits including undertaking joint research assignments or projects which may result in joint reports, publication and study visits; exchange of information on the system and structure of higher education, reforms and new educational technologies; training and capacity building; and other areas of cooperation in forestry and forest products research. Also present to witness the signing ceremony were UTM Vice Chancellor (Development) Prof. Ir Dr Wahid Omar, Dr Maketab Muhamed, Prof. Dr Zuklifli Yusop and Assoc. Prof. Dr Abd Latif Saleh from UTM; and FRIM Forest Plantation Programme Head, Dr Ahmad Zuhaidi Yahya, Senior Researcher, Dr Hashim Md Noor and Corporate Management Head, Puan Norhayati Nordin.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UTM and FRIM to provide for this project to be undertaken over a period of five years was held on 30 April 2012 at the UTM Skudai campus in Johor Bahru. Representing the Malaysian Forestry Research and Development Board (MFRDB) was the FRIM Director General (DG) Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, while the university was represented by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Ir Dr Zaini Ujang. According to Abd Latif, FRIM will use a different planting method known as “Systematic Cluster Planting”, which allows the old rubber trees to remain and gradually be replaced with the selected species with a target density of 350-500 trees per ha. The selected timber species include meranti, chengal, keruing, merbau, nyatoh and jelutong. The reforestation project also includes the cultivation of 30 local and exotic commercial bamboo species which can be used for construction as well as the setting up of a herbal garden within the 10-ha area.
FRIM has been involved in reforestation activities for about 100 years. Its main campus in Kepong is a model for successful reforestation, making it one of the oldest and largest man-made tropical forests in the world. FRIM has also been successful in rehabilitating and reforesting an ex-tin mining area of 115 ha in Bidor, Perak, and some 50-ha of BRIS soil site in Terengganu. Recently, FRIM has also be appointed by a private firm to reforest an ex-mining area in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, using the fast tract system to plant fast-growing tree species over a period of five years. The FRIM-UTM MOU will also pave the way for the establishment of a twin campus programme, in line with the university’s aim to work towards an Eco Tropical JB Campus and the attainment of a world class quality innovative education in tropical environment.
Among others, the MOU provides for exchange of researchers, staff and students for mutual benefits including undertaking joint research assignments or projects which may result in joint reports, publication and study visits; exchange of information on the system and structure of higher education, reforms and new educational technologies; training and capacity building; and other areas of cooperation in forestry and forest products research. Also present to witness the signing ceremony were UTM Vice Chancellor (Development) Prof. Ir Dr Wahid Omar, Dr Maketab Muhamed, Prof. Dr Zuklifli Yusop and Assoc. Prof. Dr Abd Latif Saleh from UTM; and FRIM Forest Plantation Programme Head, Dr Ahmad Zuhaidi Yahya, Senior Researcher, Dr Hashim Md Noor and Corporate Management Head, Puan Norhayati Nordin.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
MTC Global WoodMart 2012
During his opening remarks, the MTC Chairman said that “MTC is confident that the Global WoodMart 2012 would be another outstanding success. And I am proud to say that based on exhibitors and visitors’ positive feedback, the Global WoodMart has already become a trade event that is looked forward to by the timber trade in 2012”.
MGW’s debut show in 2010 attracted 108 exhibitors from more than 20 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, South Korea, the UAE, UK and USA. In addition, over 2,000 trade buyers from 50 countries attended, with sizeable representations from Japan, the Netherlands, China, India, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE. Feedback from participants was encouraging and favourable with many expressing their interest to return for MGW 2012. Said John Chan of AHEC, “It provided us a good platform to meet with the users, traders from many countries.” Stuart McCallum of Timberbond, New Zealand, mentioned that “Opportunities persist in the Malaysian market. It has been very insightful.” Yaqoub H. Abdulla from the Department of Seaport & Customs, UAE said, “It has given us a chance to be in this market, opening a couple of chances to discover this wide and big market of Malaysia.” Peter Thomson of Glosswood, Australia said, “There is a good range of timbers available and it really does showcase the Malaysian timber manufacturers.”
To create awareness of MGW 2012, MTC is currently carrying out international promotional efforts through its offices in London, Shanghai and Dubai to bring prospective buyers from traditional markets in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia, as well as emerging markets such as China, Russia and countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America to Malaysia. MGW 2012 will feature a wide selection of tropical and temperate hardwood and softwood products such as logs, sawntimber, plywood and panel products, wooden flooring, wooden decking, doors and windows, mouldings and furniture components.
MGW 2012 is endorsed and supported by:
• Ministry of Plantation Industries & Commodities
• Malaysia External Trade & Development Corporation (MATRADE)
• Malaysian Wood Industries Association (MWIA)
• Malaysian Panel-Products Manufacturers’ Association (MPMA)
• Timber Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
• Malaysian Wood Moulding & Joinery Council (MWMJC)
• Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (MFIC)
• Association of Malaysian Bumiputra Timber & Furniture Entrepreneurs (PEKA)
MGW’s debut show in 2010 attracted 108 exhibitors from more than 20 countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, South Korea, the UAE, UK and USA. In addition, over 2,000 trade buyers from 50 countries attended, with sizeable representations from Japan, the Netherlands, China, India, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE. Feedback from participants was encouraging and favourable with many expressing their interest to return for MGW 2012. Said John Chan of AHEC, “It provided us a good platform to meet with the users, traders from many countries.” Stuart McCallum of Timberbond, New Zealand, mentioned that “Opportunities persist in the Malaysian market. It has been very insightful.” Yaqoub H. Abdulla from the Department of Seaport & Customs, UAE said, “It has given us a chance to be in this market, opening a couple of chances to discover this wide and big market of Malaysia.” Peter Thomson of Glosswood, Australia said, “There is a good range of timbers available and it really does showcase the Malaysian timber manufacturers.”
To create awareness of MGW 2012, MTC is currently carrying out international promotional efforts through its offices in London, Shanghai and Dubai to bring prospective buyers from traditional markets in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia, as well as emerging markets such as China, Russia and countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America to Malaysia. MGW 2012 will feature a wide selection of tropical and temperate hardwood and softwood products such as logs, sawntimber, plywood and panel products, wooden flooring, wooden decking, doors and windows, mouldings and furniture components.
MGW 2012 is endorsed and supported by:
• Ministry of Plantation Industries & Commodities
• Malaysia External Trade & Development Corporation (MATRADE)
• Malaysian Wood Industries Association (MWIA)
• Malaysian Panel-Products Manufacturers’ Association (MPMA)
• Timber Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM)
• Malaysian Wood Moulding & Joinery Council (MWMJC)
• Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (MFIC)
• Association of Malaysian Bumiputra Timber & Furniture Entrepreneurs (PEKA)
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Foreign companies blamed for depletion
Balikpapan - Primary forest cover in East Kalimantan has been depleted from 19 million hectares in the 1960s to just 4 million hectares today due to legislation allowing foreign companies into the local forestry sector, a researcher said on Friday.
Bernaulus Saragih, head of the Natural Resources Study Center at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, the provincial capital, said on Friday that the massive deforestation in the province was triggered by 1967’s Law on Foreign Investment (PMA).
“The degradation of primary forests in East Kalimantan was drastic after 1967. That was because the PMA law allowed the rate of degradation to increase significantly” by allowing foreign loggers and plantation companies in, he said.
While Indonesian firms are the No. 1 concession holders in the province, the US Department of Agriculture noted last year that “Malaysian companies have collectively established over 1 million hectares of active oil palm plantations in Indonesia and own a further 1 million hectares of land [that] has official permits allowing its development in the future.”
Bernaulus said other policies that had contributed to the high rate of deforestation included zoning regulations to assign large tracts of forests for plantation, logging and mining operations as well as for human settlement.
Should the opening up of the province’s forests continue at current rates, he warned, there would be no more primary forest cover left in just a few years.
Izal Wardana, executive director of the East Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said the loss meant the province no longer complied with a zoning regulation requiring 30 percent of the total land area of 20.45 million hectares to be forested.
He warned that the province was losing 500,000 hectares of forest each year and that new infrastructure projects were threatening previously untouched tracts of virgin forest.
Izal urged the provincial administration to freeze the issuance of new forestry concessions and evaluate existing operations, including exhausted mining and plantation operations that have left behind an estimated 8.1 million hectares of degraded land.
Bernaulus Saragih, head of the Natural Resources Study Center at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, the provincial capital, said on Friday that the massive deforestation in the province was triggered by 1967’s Law on Foreign Investment (PMA).
“The degradation of primary forests in East Kalimantan was drastic after 1967. That was because the PMA law allowed the rate of degradation to increase significantly” by allowing foreign loggers and plantation companies in, he said.
While Indonesian firms are the No. 1 concession holders in the province, the US Department of Agriculture noted last year that “Malaysian companies have collectively established over 1 million hectares of active oil palm plantations in Indonesia and own a further 1 million hectares of land [that] has official permits allowing its development in the future.”
Bernaulus said other policies that had contributed to the high rate of deforestation included zoning regulations to assign large tracts of forests for plantation, logging and mining operations as well as for human settlement.
Should the opening up of the province’s forests continue at current rates, he warned, there would be no more primary forest cover left in just a few years.
Izal Wardana, executive director of the East Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said the loss meant the province no longer complied with a zoning regulation requiring 30 percent of the total land area of 20.45 million hectares to be forested.
He warned that the province was losing 500,000 hectares of forest each year and that new infrastructure projects were threatening previously untouched tracts of virgin forest.
Izal urged the provincial administration to freeze the issuance of new forestry concessions and evaluate existing operations, including exhausted mining and plantation operations that have left behind an estimated 8.1 million hectares of degraded land.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Malaysia's timber will use the "green lane" to EU
Malaysia's timber products will use the "green lane" to the European market next year, in line with the implementation of the European Union's (EU) timber trade legislation, says the EU ambassador Vincent Piket. Malaysia is undertaking a bilateral voluntary partnership with the EU under its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action plan to ensure that only licensed and certified timber enter the EU markets. Malaysian Timber Certification Council chairman Datuk Dr Freezailah Che Yeom said negotiations will come to an end possibly "within this quarter".
"We have made substantial progress and hope to conclude (talks) fairly soon," he told a media briefing after the launch of FLEGT Asia in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Dr Freezailah, who is adviser to the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities on the negotiations with the EU, said the talks involve consultations between over 100 stakeholders, including industry players, the government and non-government organisations. "Some stakeholders feel that it (FLEGT) is too stringent at this point of time, while others feel it is not stringent enough. "Malaysia has to strike a delicate balance but nonetheless, we have a strong commitment (to the plan) and where there is a will there is a way," he added. The "grey" zone is to strike the boundary, between legality and sustainability, he said.
Wood product exports to the EU have risen from RM2 billion to RM3.3 billion in 2006, with the growing trend towards increased sourcing of furniture and joinery products from the far east. In 2006, the EU imports of Malaysian wood products comprised RM1.2 billion of wood furniture, RM1.1 billion of sawnwood and RM414 million of plywood. The main European markets are the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. Over the last five years, there has been particularly strong growth in European imports of Malaysian wood furniture, plywood and mouldings. Peninsular Malaysia was the main source of the wood furniture, while Sabah accounted for sawn timber and Sarawak mostly for plywood.
Apart from Malaysia, the EU is also undertaking negotiations with Indonesia. In 2007, these two countries combined, accounted for a total of RM6 billion worth of timber trade with the EU. The EU now also plans to expand the FLEGT programme to the rest of Asia. The European Forest Institute, a Finnish-based organisation will expand the FLEGT outreach to other countries from Kuala Lumpur. The FLEGT Asia programme will be carried out in the Mekong region, in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.
"We have made substantial progress and hope to conclude (talks) fairly soon," he told a media briefing after the launch of FLEGT Asia in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Dr Freezailah, who is adviser to the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities on the negotiations with the EU, said the talks involve consultations between over 100 stakeholders, including industry players, the government and non-government organisations. "Some stakeholders feel that it (FLEGT) is too stringent at this point of time, while others feel it is not stringent enough. "Malaysia has to strike a delicate balance but nonetheless, we have a strong commitment (to the plan) and where there is a will there is a way," he added. The "grey" zone is to strike the boundary, between legality and sustainability, he said.
Wood product exports to the EU have risen from RM2 billion to RM3.3 billion in 2006, with the growing trend towards increased sourcing of furniture and joinery products from the far east. In 2006, the EU imports of Malaysian wood products comprised RM1.2 billion of wood furniture, RM1.1 billion of sawnwood and RM414 million of plywood. The main European markets are the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. Over the last five years, there has been particularly strong growth in European imports of Malaysian wood furniture, plywood and mouldings. Peninsular Malaysia was the main source of the wood furniture, while Sabah accounted for sawn timber and Sarawak mostly for plywood.
Apart from Malaysia, the EU is also undertaking negotiations with Indonesia. In 2007, these two countries combined, accounted for a total of RM6 billion worth of timber trade with the EU. The EU now also plans to expand the FLEGT programme to the rest of Asia. The European Forest Institute, a Finnish-based organisation will expand the FLEGT outreach to other countries from Kuala Lumpur. The FLEGT Asia programme will be carried out in the Mekong region, in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
60% of Sabah still under rainforest
Despite extensive landscape changes in the past, including the introduction of agriculture to reverse the overdependence on timber, some 60 percent of Sabah still remains under forest cover, state Forestry Department Director Datuk Sam Mannan said. The rate of deforestation between 1970 and 2010 was about 0.5 percent a year, with its height being between 1990 and 2000 during the oil palm cultivation boom, which unfortunately also saw a direct correlation between the number of Orang Utans being sent to the rehabilitation centre in Sepilok, he said.
"Fortunately, what is most important is the fact that we did not discard the forest reserve system that we inherited. If anything, we expanded it. "About four million hectares of Sabah remain under forest reserves, parks and wildlife sanctuaries," he said when briefing the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who visited the department's Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sepilok, last Saturday.
Mannan said despite "acts of random madness of the past," rainforests have managed to recover, with biological assets largely intact, and no record of any species going extinct so far. "The closest to extinction is the Sabah Rhino which we are trying to save through captive breeding," he added.
He also said the RDC, launched in 2007, is developed to meet objective of creating awareness on conservation and the environment as well as to promote ecotourism and recreation, education and research and development. Mannan said the total development cost for the centre has exceeded RM25mil and approximately RM10mil spent under the 10th Malaysia Plan to further develop its facilities.
"Fortunately, what is most important is the fact that we did not discard the forest reserve system that we inherited. If anything, we expanded it. "About four million hectares of Sabah remain under forest reserves, parks and wildlife sanctuaries," he said when briefing the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who visited the department's Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sepilok, last Saturday.
Mannan said despite "acts of random madness of the past," rainforests have managed to recover, with biological assets largely intact, and no record of any species going extinct so far. "The closest to extinction is the Sabah Rhino which we are trying to save through captive breeding," he added.
He also said the RDC, launched in 2007, is developed to meet objective of creating awareness on conservation and the environment as well as to promote ecotourism and recreation, education and research and development. Mannan said the total development cost for the centre has exceeded RM25mil and approximately RM10mil spent under the 10th Malaysia Plan to further develop its facilities.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Website to prevent illegal logging
In a bid to reduce illegal logging cases, Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) has come up with a user-friendly website for Malaysians to monitor rain forests and alert the authorities over suspicious activities. Its executive director Alan Kirupakaran said that the website would provide a platform for stakeholders to become efficient monitors and hoped it would become an effective measure to conserve forests in Malaysia.
“I believe with the co-operation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), using simple tools like the Google Earth Geospatial Technology (satellite, imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe) will allow the public to become active participants in protecting our forests,” he said at the workshop on forest adoption yesterday. He said since the website's creation in February, TI-M had received many public tip-offs regarding illegal logging activities and authorities had managed to investigate and expose six cases of illegal logging nationwide.
It was reported that Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup told the Dewan Rakyat that the country had lost some RM10.7mil in revenue to such activities. Alan said TI-M would help monitor the website with relevant authorities as well as with ForestWatch's expert monitors from the Malaysia Forestry Department. The public can assess and report irregularities through its website.
“I believe with the co-operation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), using simple tools like the Google Earth Geospatial Technology (satellite, imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe) will allow the public to become active participants in protecting our forests,” he said at the workshop on forest adoption yesterday. He said since the website's creation in February, TI-M had received many public tip-offs regarding illegal logging activities and authorities had managed to investigate and expose six cases of illegal logging nationwide.
It was reported that Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup told the Dewan Rakyat that the country had lost some RM10.7mil in revenue to such activities. Alan said TI-M would help monitor the website with relevant authorities as well as with ForestWatch's expert monitors from the Malaysia Forestry Department. The public can assess and report irregularities through its website.
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