Greenpeace statement on Indonesia-EU timber agreement | WPN World People News

The head of the Indonesia Forest Campaign at Greenpeace International, Bustar Maitar, responded: “Signature of the FLEGT agreement is an important step to improve forest governance and law enforcement in Indonesia. It shows Indonesia's willingness to expel corruption and illegal practices from its forestry sector, and the EU's engagement to continue to support Indonesia, especially for the independent CSO forest monitor (JPIK),” said Bustar.

Land Clearing in Kalimantan

The signature of the agreement should not be seen as an end point, but rather as a stepping-stone. There is still much work to be done if Indonesia's timber legality standard (SVLK) and system are to be credible.

“Indonesia must take steps to improve enforcement such as prohibiting forest conversion for industrial timber plantations and ensuring transparency and access to relevant data and maps.

“As long as companies such as APRIL (Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings) are allowed to destroy biodiversity rich forests and turn peatlands into pulpwood plantations, the green credentials of the Indonesian legality standard will be seriously flawed,” said Bustar.

Source: Greenpeace EU Unit