Timber from illegal palm oil concessions has been certified
as ‘legal’ under Indonesia’s state forestry certification scheme, according
to a new report from two NGOs.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Independent
Forest Monitoring Network (known by its Indonesian acronym, JPIK) revisited an
oil palm concession previously exposed in a 2014 report, which found the company – PT Prasetya Mitra Muda
– had begun clearing forest without all the legally required permits.
Since then the company has continued operating illegally, by
clearing after permits expired and beyond the boundaries of its concession.
Repeated attempts by JPIK to encourage Indonesian authorities to take action
have gone unheeded.
In the meantime, sawmills have proliferated around the
concession to take advantage of a vast supply of illegal timber. The plantation
and some of the sawmills have now been certified as operating legally under the
Timber Legality Verification System (Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu, or
SVLK).
The SVLK is intended to ensure timber is produced and traded
legally, and is a cornerstone of the Indonesian government’s efforts to repair
the reputation of its forestry sector, which has been plagued by crime and
corruption for decades. It also underpins the EU-Indonesia Voluntary
Partnership Agreement, which removes the burden on European importers of
Indonesian timber to carry out substantial due diligence.
“Repeated complaints submitted by JPIK and EIA to the
authorities have not stopped PT PMM’s illegal activities. While the police have
failed to enforce the law, more forests are being cleared illegally,” said Dhio
Teguh Ferdyan, a JPIK Campaigner, in a statement.
“Compounding this impunity, dodgy auditors have failed to
conduct due diligence on their clients and have certified these crimes as
legal. Serious weaknesses in complaint handling within the SVLK system has also
prevented accountability.”
EIA and JPIK have urged the government to investigate
logging permits and non-compliance with the SVLK.
