CIFOR Summary ReportForward 1 Foreword The following report covers CIFOR’s events and activities at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW), which was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 21 –

CIFOR Summary ReportAsia-Pacific Forestry WeekHanoi, 21-26 April 2008

table ofcontents

1 Foreword

2 Forests and Climate Change

12 Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forestry Law Compliance and Governance

24 CIFOR Book Launches, Poster Session and Presentation

26 Media Hit

Forward 1

ForewordThe following report covers CIFOR’s events and activities at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW), which was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 21 – 26 April, 2008.

APFW brought together over 700 participants from governments, NGOs, research institutions, regional and international networks, UN agencies, the private sector, the media and the broader forestry community.

CIFOR maintained a prominent presence throughout the week, positioning itself as a major player in forestry throughout the region. Major activities included co-hosting two plenary sessions, launching a number of books, and distributing countless publications and other materials from its exhibition booth.

On Wednesday, 23 April, CIFOR co-hosted a plenary session on Forests and Climate Change, in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

This event provided the platform for a range of experts, enthusiasts and decision-makers to raise key issues in relation to climate change mitigation and adaptation. CIFOR’s Dr Daniel Murdiyarso delivered one of two keynote presentations (‘Entering Readiness Phase for Full REDD Implementation’) while Markku Kanninen moderated the panel session on climate change Mitigation and Bruno Locatelli was a panelist for the session on Adaptation.

In its capacity as host of the Secretariat of the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP), CIFOR also co-hosted the Thursday plenary session on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance and Governance. This event was organized in collaboration with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia (MoF).

Moderated by Rico Hizon, BBC Asia Business and Finance Correspondent, this event provided the opportunity for stakeholders to advance policy solutions, industry incentives and practical on-the-ground initiatives that address concerns about forest governance and legal compliance.

Both plenary sessions were accompanied by a media conference, which enabled a panel of event organizers and participants to field questions from local and international media representatives. Both media conferences were well attended and resulted in widespread coverage of CIFOR’s involvement at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, further enhancing the center’s reputation as a source of timely and relevant research.

The afternoon of Thursday, 24 April, also saw the launch of two CIFOR publications – Lessons from Forest Decentralization, by Carol Colfer, Ganga Dahal and Doris Capistrano; and Managing Forest Resources in a Decentralized Environment, by Petrus Gunarso, Titiek Setyawati, Terry Sunderland and Charlie Shackleton.

Finally, on the morning of Saturday, 26 April., CIFOR participated in an event hosted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Poverty Reduction through Forestry Related Activities. This event was also supported by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

CIFOR’s Communications Unit would like to thank the following for their assistance in making APFW as success:Kenichi Shono (FAO)•Satria Oktarita, Popi Astriani, Greg Clough and Budhy Kristanty (CIFOR)•Hoang Minh Ha and Mai Hoang Yen (CIFOR-ICRAF, Vietnam) •Herastuti Haryogyo (TNC), Nguyen Thanh Tung (Forest Sector Support Program and Partnership) and Bui My Binh •(MARD Vietnam)Frank Zeller (AFP Vietnam Correspondence) and Cathy Reed (Crawford Fund)•

Yani Saloh and Tim Cronin, CIFORMay 2008

CIFOR Sumary Report2

Forests andClimate Change

The aftermath of a forest f ire in Danau Sentarum National Park, West Kalimantan. (Ryan Woo)

Forest and Climate Change 3

Plenary Session at Asia-Pacific Forestry WeekWednesday, 23rd April, 08:30 – 12:00pmNational Convention Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam (room 313)

IntroductionDr Susan Braatz, FAO Dr Braatz commenced her introduction by stating that forests are currently high on the global agenda, as reflected in the attention given to forests at December’s Bali COP13.There were 3 key decisions that came out of Bali, that were especially relevant to forests:

Consideration of) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) 1. – ie. Indicative Guidelines were provided to implement demonstration projects.(Implementation of) the Bali Action Plan2. (Launch of) The Adaptation Fund3.

Dr Braatz then outlined the format the plenary would follow (ie. Mitigation & Adaptation) and introduced the first session.

Session 1: Climate Change MitigationEntering Readiness Phase for Full REDD Implementation by Dr Daniel Murdiyarso, Environmental Services Program, CIFOR (Indonesia) Dr Murdiyarso echoed Dr Braatz ’s comment that forests are currently high on the global agenda, and said that had been the case (in varying degrees) since the early 90s.Setting the scene

Some statistics were provided, around deforestation and carbon emissions, eg. 11 billion •ha degraded land worldwide (at a rate of around 11 million ha per year)‘Avoided Deforestation’ was not included in the Kyoto Protocol, largely due to question •marks over methodology and fears of “leakage”.The Stern Review (and especially the fact that land use change accounts for 20%+ of all •carbon emissions) has brought it back to the table, suggesting that avoided deforestation may be the cheapest option to mitigate climate change

Can we afford to miss the opportunity?Biofuel as a solution to climate change has serious question marks. For example:

Requires significant deforestation to plant crops, which can increase carbon emissions;1. Can lead to food shortages, and therefore push up food prices (Dr Murdiyarso commented 2. that he had never seen people queuing for cooking oil before!)There is only 2 years between Bali and Copenhagen (at which point the COP is due to •make concrete decisions on REDD), and then a further 3 years before full implementation in 2012. This leaves little time to address many issues.

If Indonesia could curb peatland fires, it could potentially earn billions of dollars from REDD projects.

Tens of thousands of hectares of peatland forest have been cleared to make way for plantations in Kalimantan, Indonesia. (Leon Budi Prasetyo)


Murdiyarso touched on Forest Day, which was •staged during the Bali COP, and which brought together many stakeholders (around the same number as in attendance at APFW), to discuss these issues.In designing REDD, “priority areas should be •identified within countries to focus on those about to deforest and to avoid leakage”.A graph was shown, which illustrated the general •trend of deforestation – triggers, reinforcing loops, stabilizing loops.

Criteria for readinessMethodological issues must be addressed (eg. 1. monitoring and accounting).Underlying causes of deforestation must be identified. 2. This includes market failures (eg. commodity prices) and governance failures (eg. land rights issues).Demonstration Activities (both national and sub-national) must be initiated. Also need to look at other 3. Payments for Environmental Services (PES), beyond carbon.Baselines (or reference levels) must be set.4.

ConclusionIn addition to the above criteria, significant capacity building is needed at a local and regional level, and a •national registry must be established that is supported by strong governance.

Dr Murdiyarso’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion.

ModeratorDr Markku Kanninen, CIFOR’s Director for Environmental Services program.

PanelistsDr Nur Masripatin, FORDA, Ministry of Forestry of IndonesiaDr Nguyen Hoang Nghia, Forest Science Institute of Vietnam

Dr Kanninen commenced the discussion by inviting each panelist to comment briefly on Dr Murdiyarso’s presentation.

Dr Nur: The issues are extremely relevant to Indonesia (especially post-Bali).•Improvement is needed for both methodological and institutional aspects.•“REDD must be performance-based, demonstrable, transparent and verifiable.”•It is complicated by the need for a national system, which must then be implemented at a sub-national •level.Issues of “governance” refer not only to “government”, but also to community and business sectors.•Determining reference levels is not only a scientific issue, but also a political one with economic •implications.

Dr Nghia Vietnam has been identified as one the top 5 countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.• We are very eager to work on potential solutions (like REDD).•

Dr Kanninen then asked the audience how many participants have been involved in national level discussions about REDD? Approximately 10% raised their hands.

He made the comment that the window of opportunity to demonstrate that REDD is a viable option post-Kyoto is not big. He then invited comments and questions from the floor.

Dr Nur (MOF Indonesia), Dr Kanninen and Dr. Murdiyarso (CIFOR), at the first session of Climate Change. (Photo: Yani Saloh)


Questions from participants:Cambodia: How do we make it happen? How do we ensure that foresters are directly involved? He also made •the comment that CDM was “designed to fail”.Malaysia: Are we willing to accept that CDM is a failure? Do we give up completely on this and move to REDD •so soon?Yurdi Yasmi, RECOFTC: When you say “Are we ready?”, who do you mean by “we”? How do we ensure that •REDD incorporates the interests of the poor?Vietnam: We’ve heard a lot about “deforestation”, but how will REDD address discussions about “degradation”? •How does REDD include an incentive for sustainable forest management (SFM)?

Response from panelists:Dr Murdiyarso

A/R CDM which focuses on C-sequestration did not fly, in part, because it entails high transaction costs.•REDD has a broader perspective as far as forestry is concerned, as it relates to environmental services issues like •protection of biodiversity and watershed functions, but is “packaged under the banner of climate change.”It also has a greater scope to involve local communities.•Reducing forest degradation is important for improving the quality of the ecosystem, as well as for retaining •carbon.

Dr NurThere are many good policy measures that are relevant to REDD. The challenge is to integrate and to •implement them.We definitely want to use REDD to support SFM, because as long as there is a market for illegal timber, SFM •is very costly.I agree that we need to engage foresters. “We can have diplomats or international lawyers speaking beautiful •language, but when we’re negotiating about forests, we need people who know about forests.”There has been a lot of negative coverage about forests in Indonesia, but there are actually some good things •happening too - eg. the Forest Carbon Alliance.

Questions from participants:Indonesia: Can you explain about “leakage”, and about how the pricing system will work (for both mandatory •and voluntary markets)?Asia-Pacific is different to the rest of the world, in that land use actually accounts for around 40% of carbon •emissions. How do we design REDD so that It is anchored to existing development plans, investment plans etc?

Dr Nguyen Hoang Nghia (Forest Science Institute of Vietnam), Dr Nur (MOF Indonesia), Dr Kanninen (CIFOR), at the first session of Climate Change. (Photo: Yani Saloh)


Indonesia: I work for a development company that is working on carbon sequestration projects, and we are •looking for partners and incentives . Vietnam, Flora & Fauna Int.: How will REDD work when deals are locked into 30+ year timeframes, and yet the •price/value of carbon and other relevant commodities are likely to fluctuate dramatically during this period?Marcus Colchester: Many forest-dwellers have no land rights. Yet, even if they do, who owns the ‘carbon rights’? •If you own the tree, does this mean you own the carbon? How can we ensure that payments will help, and not harm, the poor?Fred Stolle, WRI: Where will the money come from (given that the EU and US have stated they are against •purchasing carbon from overseas forests, at least for now)? He also addressed the participants and asked how many had ‘offset’ their flights to Hanoi. Only 3 or 4 hands were raised!Nepal: Forests in our highland areas are very well maintained and regenerated due to community ownership •and initiative, yet forests in out lowlands are depleting due to governments selling off the land. With a federal system of management, the net emissions of the country are not good, so where is the incentive for the community to continue their good work?Malaysia: Began with a Malaysian saying that translates as “beauty that deceives the eye”. Stated that, as a •forester, he is very sceptical of REDD because he was a delegate at COP6 and felt he had no say. “At the end of the day, decisions taken will be politically motivated”. Claimed that there is a “global conspiracy”.

Response from panelists: Dr Murdiyarso

As there are many stakeholders involved in forests and ecosystems, much work is needed to clarify ‘carbon •rights’. With regards to ensuring the interests of the poor are considered with REDD, this will likely mean trade-offs •between equity and efficiency.

Dr Nur We too are eager to know where the money will come from. We are spending a lot of time and money preparing •for REDD, without any guarantees of the market We should not be too skeptical of REDD, yet at the same time, we should not have too many expectations •either “There are many conspiracies in the world”.•

Conclusion

Dr Braatz concluded the first session by recapping on some of the key issues and opportunities discussed:REDD provides an opportunity to develop the capacity to monitor and assess forests, which is needed with or •without implementation of REDD.It also provides an opportunity to bring together all of the sectors that are involved in driving deforestation, in •a context that will ensure the forestry sector has the upper hand.Although the need to address climate change is urgent, we have to ensure that the solutions are not temporary •ones. Although there is only a small window of opportunity, it is essential that we do things right, or we will lose the opportunity altogether.

Session 2: Climate Change AdaptationDr Allen Solomon, National Program Leader for Global Change Research, US Forest Service, introduced the second session, by explaining that adaptation to climate change is closely linked to mitigation of climate change and, therefore, this second session would complement the first.

He then introduced the second presentation:

Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Change: Current Research in Tropical Areas by Dr Boone Kauffmann, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, US Forest Service. Dr Kaufman commenced his presentation by pointing out that tropical forests cover only 10% of the earth’s surface, yet contain around 40% of the carbon that resides in terrestrial vegetation.


They also harbor between half and two-thirds of the world’s species.•It has been demonstrated (by monitoring seasonal trends) that forests significantly affect the concentration •of carbon in the atmosphere.“Global warming is a fact of life.”•Dr Kauffmann compared changes in temperature between 1906 and 1976 (ie. app. 0.07°C increase per decade), •with changes between 1976 and 2005 (app. 0.17°C per decade).He pointed out that increases in temperature will decrease rates of carbon sequestration (so global warming •a self-perpetuating process), which makes it hard to make long-term predictions.Climate Change will increase the frequency, persistence and magnitude of El Nino events.•Likely responses of forests to climate change include collapse due to fire or drought, loss of biodiversity and •dominance of invasive species.Mangrove forests are particularly important due to their high concentration of carbon, biodiversity and water •resources. Although mangroves can adapt to major weather events, they are particularly vulnerable to land use change.Sea level is currently rising at around 3mm per year (twice the rate of the last century). •At least a 1m sea level rise is expected this century, although a 3°C temperature rise would mean a sea level •rise of between 3m and 6m.Likely impacts of sea level rise include erosion of beaches, loss of coastal ecosystems and infrastructure, coral •bleaching, ocean acidification, disease and a decline of fisheries industries.The Pacific Islands are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, and Dr Kauffmann provided a striking, visual •representation of sea-level rise in Waikiki, Hawaii.He provided a number of necessary steps that must be taken if we are to adequately adapt to climate change •impacts:i. Enhance environmental and biological monitoringii. Improve efforts to predict impacts and to understand these impactsiii. Prepare for warmer climates and, possibly, for drier climatesiv. Restore and maintain forests and wetlands“Although poverty will not be totally alleviated by forests, the loss of forests will have disastrous and •unprecedented impacts on poverty.”

Dr Kauffmann’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion.

Dr Rex Cruz (University of the Philippines), Dr Solomon (USDA), Dr Bruno Locatelli (CIFOR-CIRAD ) and Dr Boone Kauffmann (USFS) at the second session of Climate Change. (Photo: Yani Saloh)


ModeratorDr Solomon

PanelistsDr Bruno Locatelli, Environmental Services Program, CIFOR-CIRAD (Indonesia)Dr Rex Cruz, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines

Dr Solomon commenced the discussion by inviting each panelist to comment briefly on Dr Kauffmann’s presentation.

Dr Cruz: Impacts of climate change will be both direct and indirect. For example, as certain areas are affected, people •will move to other areas. We must persist with sustainable forest management (SFM).• We must look at climate change adaptation from a holistic perspective – ie. consider the intricate connections •between mountain peaks and coastal areas. Is climate change mitigation relevant for the poor, or merely for economic sectors?•

Dr Locatelli Discussed the Tropical Forests and Climate Change Adaptation (TroFCCA) project.• Even if forests are thought to be among the areas most affected by climate change, adaptation policies don’t •give much importance to forests. For example, for TroFCCA, the research has demonstrated that this is not necessarily the case. Therefore, the emphasis mustn’t necessarily be on forests, but on the goods and services (eg. water resources •and NTFPs) that forests provide. Endorsed Dr Cruz’s statement that we must look at forests and climate change from a holistic perspective, •specifically by:i. Mainstreaming adaptation into forestsii. Mainstreaming forests into adaptation

Dr SolomonThe key to growth is soil. Climate change will mean more extreme weather events, which will displace soil.• What can we do about this?•i. Increase forest diversity (which will increase resistance to disturbance and disease).ii. Improve our understanding and analysis of genetics.Dr Solomon then invited comments from the floor.

Questions from participants:Indonesia: “Climate change is a global conspiracy, inspired by scientists and adopted by politicians”. When it •comes to forest management, foresters have always been told what to do by others, while it should be the other way around.Malaysia: There are so many things to do, where do we start?•Japan: Mitigation and adaptation should be tackled holistically, but how do we coordinate things? He also •mentioned that Japan will host the UNFCCC workshop on REDD soon.Vietnam: There has been much talk about mainstreaming adaptation into forests, but how do we mainstream •forests into adaptation?

Response from panelists: Dr Kauffmann

Climate change is probably the most complex problem to ever face scientists, let alone foresters. • Where to begin? Pick the low-hanging fruit. “But, if there were easy solutions, we wouldn’t be having meetings •like this”.


Dr Locatelli At a local scale, we have to start from local stakeholders’ needs before studying future impacts and developing •policy solutions. At a global scale, the links between adaptation and mitigation must be strengthened.

Dr SolomonContrary to popular opinion, we need to start speeding up the carbon cycle – ie. get carbon into trees faster.•

Conclusion Dr Susan Braatz, FAO

There seems to be a consensus that foresters need to be more engaged in climate change strategy.•There are clearly synergies between mitigation and adaptation, so these strategies must be tackled holistically•Both need to be addressed within a broader policy context (ie. outside the forestry sector), as well as within •the context of existing development and forestry plans.Establishing carbon rights and equitable distribution of rewards will be crucial if we are to alleviate poverty.•There is already a lot of knowledge about what needs to be done, but this knowledge needs to be synthesized •and implemented.

Media conference: Dr Daniel Murdiyarso (CIFOR), Dr Susan Braatz, Mr Jan Heino (FAO) and Long Tran Kim (MARD Vietnam). (Photo: Yani Saloh)


The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) andthe Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proudly present:

Forests and Climate Changeat Asia Pacific Forestry WeekNational Convention Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam

Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 08:30-12:00 (room 313)

Forests are high on the agenda of any future climate strategy, both as a means of sequestering carbon, and of reducing the vulnerability of forest-dependant communities. This event will provide the platform to raise key issues in relation to these two primary themes for addressing climate change - mitigation and adaptation. A world-renowned expert will introduce each theme, and then a panel discussion will further explore the issues raised.

Forests and Climate Change Mitigation (08:30 - 10:00)Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD): A Readiness Index for Full ImplementationDr. Daniel Murdiyarso, CIFOR Environmental Services Programme (Indonesia) & member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.• AccordingtotheIPCC,landconversionanddeforestationemitsaround1.7billiontonnesofcarbonannually,morethan

20% of all global emissions.• Consequently,theBaliActionPlanidentifiesreducingemissionsfromdeforestationanddegradation(REDD)asakey

focus for any future climate agenda.• However,thetimeisshortandtherearemanyissuesaroundgovernance,indigenouslandrightsandmethodology

that will have to be addressed if such a scheme is to be fully implemented after 2012.

Forests and Climate Change Adaptation (10:15 – 11:45)Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Change: Current Research in Tropical AreasDr. Boone Kauffmann, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, US Forest Service. • Tropicalforestecosystemsareamongthemostvulnerableecosystemstoclimatechangevariabilityandlongterm

changes in temperature and rainfall.• Consequently,climatechangewillseriouslyaffecttheprovisionofforestgoodsandecosystemservices,whichare

crucial for many economic sectors and the livelihoods of already vulnerable communities.Please join us to learn more about the issues framing climate change, to network with a range of key stakeholders, and to play a role in developing sustainable, practical solutions for this global crisis. Participants will include experts, enthusiasts and decision-makers from government departments, non-government organizations, research and academic institutions, community groups and the private sector. This event has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the United States Forest Service.

For further information: BrunoLocatelli,CIRAD-CIFOR([email protected])


Media EnquiriesFor further information, please contact:

Yani Saloh, CIFOR/AFP

+84-906214275

[email protected]

Co hosted by:

Media Conference Wednesday, 23rd April

12:00–12:30pm (immediately following plenary session)National Convention Centre Hanoi, Vietnam (room 313)

World-renowned experts available to provide a range of perspectives on the most pressing issue of out time, will include:

• Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso, CIFOR Environmental Services Programme (Indonesia) & member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

• Dr. Jan Heino, Assistant Director-General, FAO Forestry Department

• Dr. Nguyen Van Tai, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam (tbc)

Some of the questions to be addressed will include:

•What are the implications of Bali conference for the forest sector in Asia?

•What are the governance and livelihood issues related to reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)?

•What are the main climate-related threats to tropical forests in Asia, and their consequences for forest-dependent communities and economic sectors?

•What are the policy options for reducing vulnerability?

CIFORThe Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) was established in 1993 in response to global concerns about the social, environmental, and economic consequences of forest loss and degradation. CIFOR is dedicated to developing policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forests, and for enhancing the well-being of people who rely on tropical forests for their livelihoods. CIFOR is one of the 15 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIFORhasitsheadquartersinBogor,Indonesia,andworksinover30othercountriesaroundtheworld.

FAOThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, helping developing countries and countries in transition to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, and ensure good nutrition for all. FAO was founded in 1945, and has focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world’s poor and hungry people.

Tim Cronin, CIFOR

+62-811119851

[email protected]

Regan Suzuki, FAO

+66-816495041

[email protected]


This timber concession in Guyana has recently applied to have its operations certif ied by the Forest Stewardship Council. (Douglas Sheil)

and

Dialogue on

Governance

Timber Trade, Forestry Law Compliance


Plenary Session at Asia-Pacific Forestry WeekThursday, 24th April, 08:30 – 12:00pmNational Convention Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam (room 313)

Introduction Boen Purnama, Secretary General, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia; Chair, United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), 8 Bureau.Dr Boen welcomed the audience on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and congratulated the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP) for organizing the event – “this has been an excellent effort to elevate participation of the private sector and civil society in achieving sustainable forest management.”

Timber trade, forest law compliance & governance are all central themes of AFP.Although deforestation does show some signs of decline, it is still “rampant” in parts. It is a very

difficult issue to address, as there are a range of actors involved with range of interests, many of which wield a lot of power.

Indonesia has undertaken many initiatives to help combat illegal logging (eg. FLEGT), but this complex problem requires a concerted and committed effort, and not just from government.

There are a number of instruments to drive this effort, of which trade is one. The challenge is to find a balance between the costs of such instruments and their impact.

“The UNFF would welcome input from this dialogue.”Participants were then shown a documentary film - The Forest of South Sulawesi – which won

two categories at the 31st International Wildlife Film Festival 2008 Awards. The film documents the local community’s innovative and cooperative approach to combating the illegal timber trade.

ModeratorRico Hizon, BBC Asia Business ReportMr Hizon enthusiastically greeted the participants, and posed two key questions that would underpin the Dialogue:

Can illegal trade in timber be eradicated?•Are developed countries taking initiative to play their part?•He promised that “WE WILL FIND THE SOLUTIONS!”, but only if there was participation from •all sectors of the audience. Mr Hizon then introduced the first of five presentations.

GovernanceLarge quantities of illegal timber are transported by river in Indonesia. (Agus Andrianto)


Session 1: Presentations1. Actions by Consumer Countries to Tackle the International Trade in Illegal TimberFederico Francisco Lopez-Casero, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan

Changing patternsDr Lopez-Casero commenced his presentation by pointing out that round wood imports into traditional markets (eg. EU & USA) are decreasing, while for a number of emerging markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region they are increasing (eg. China & Vietnam).What consumer countries are doing?

Only recently have many consumer countries acknowledged that they have a responsibility to address illegal •timber trade. This acknowledgement has come about due to a number of factors, including pressure from civil society, self interest (eg. climate change) and moral obligation.One major initiative that has been established to do so is the Forest Law Enforcement and Governance •(FLEGT).This relies heavily on Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), which will license legal timber, exclude •unlicensed timber & define legality. VPA negotiations are ongoing in Malaysia, Ghana, Indonesia and other timber producing countries. The first VPA is expected to be announced during 2008.The EU is also looking at the possibility of a complete ban on unverified timber•The Lacey Act (1900) prohibits trade in and possession of endangered domestic plants in the USA. An •amendment to the act – to contain all plant products (including timber) - is currently under discussion in US Congress.Public procurement policies primarily affect construction timber, furniture & paper.•Private sector initiatives include the Timber Trade Action Plan (TTAP) – including Cameroon, Congo, Indonesia, •Malaysia, China and brazil – and individual Codes of Conduct in countries including Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, UK & Japan.

Beyond 2008There must be improved coherence between procurement policies•Other recommendations include green building standards, increased customs cooperation, greater focus on •re-exporting intermediaries and global licensing schemes.

2. Ensuring the SustainabilityAmir Sunarko, Sumalindo Lestari (SL), Indonesia

Mr Sunarko commenced his presentation by providing a brief overview of Sumalindo Lestari.The company is part of Singapore-based Samko Forest Holdings, and carries out much of its operations in East •Kalimantan.Sumalindo operates natural tropical and plantation forest, as well as logging, plywood production, mdf, •secondary process & mouldings.It was awarded a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate for sustainable forest management.•VISION: to be the best in the world and socially responsible integrated wood-based industry which produce •eco-solutions by utilizing its raw material from sustainable resources.Eco-Concept: “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse”•Sumalindo is committed to:•

Raising greater cross-border understanding & co-operation•Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amongst businesses•Promoting adoption of an eco-friendly lifestyle•

Sumalindo uses technology to maximize the utilization of wood and reduce waste. •It has also established self-imposed conservation zones, which have reduced logging areas by 30%.•In developing and implementing its sustainability policy Sumalindo has worked closely with NGOs, including •TNC & WWF.


No. 3: Are timber markets changing? If so, what are the implications for industry, forests, people and governments?Moray Isles, Dalhoff Larsen & Horneman (DLH), Vietnam

Overview of DLH: DLH is a Danish-owned group that has been trading and producing timber and wood products since 1908. •DLH works globally in 37 countries, has an annual turnover of around US$1.5 billion, and employs around 4000 staff.DLH is organised into 2 main business division - Hardwood and Timber/Board – and trades/produces over 1% •of the world’s total hardwoods.VISION: To be a major independent player in selected segments of the global timber trade and to promote the •use of timber from renewable natural resources. DLH’s timber supply is derived largely from South America, South East Asia and Africa. Its primary market •is Europe. The company takes both a commercial and an environmental/social interest in conserving wood supply, so as to leave wood for future generations.DLH is committed to the environment and actively engaged in the promotion and production of certified •products through its Good Supplier Project, and operates the world’s largest Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forest, in the Congo – some 1.3 million hectares.

Vietnam Industry Market IndicatorsWood related processing is 5th largest export activity in Vietnam (around 9m• 3 pa for all sectors), and a major employer of women and rural labour.Valued at around US$2.4b in 2007 and forecast at US$3b+ for 2009. Export value is 10 times higher now than •2000, with recent growth estimated at 35% pa.

Are Markets Changing?Prior to 1999, timber industry was characterized by minimal FSC certification, dominance of natural as opposed •to plantation timber (perceived as poor), limited international markets and low customer demandsPost-2004, FSC now forms 50% of DLH Vietnamese import and export business, plantation wood comprises •60%, import make up 80% of timber requirements and there are strict strict customer demands for sustainability and certification.

Implications . . . All industry players must:

Adapt quickly to changes•Promote and develop substitutes for endangered species•Use only certified products•Support domestic supply of plantation wood and well managed natural forest•Educate customers and processors•Be proactive rather than reactive.•

AFP dialogue: Ms Caroline Imun, Mr Amir Sunarko, Mr Moray Isles, Mr Timer Manurung, Dr Federico Francisco Lopez-Casero, Mr Rico Hizon. (Photo: Yani Saloh)


No. 4: Is legal and sustainable timber production important? Who for, and why?Timer Manurung, Telapak, Indonesia

To be • legal does not necessarily mean to be sustainable.Emphasised that the trade of illegal timber is a trans-national crime, which can only be addressed through •international, cross-border collaboration.Legal: Complies with national regulation (including traceability).•Sustainable: Maintains ecological value (ie. timber stock, ecosystem function and services) and is socially •responsible. Argued that to be legal does not necessarily mean to be sustainable, and that there can be various combinations •between the two. eg. Some logging practices can be illegal, yet sustainable, while others can be legal but unsustainable.This is particularly relevant to small-scale producers, who may operate sustainably but for whom compliance •is unfeasible as it is designed for industrial-scale producers.Timber purchasers must be accountable for what they purchase, as much as suppliers must be accountable •for what they supply. eg. Often the finger is pointed by developed countries at developing countries, when it is their demand that fuels the illegal and/or unsustainable practice in the first place.

No. 5: Certifying Community Forestry in Papua New GuineaCaroline Imun, Foundation for People and Community Development (FPCD), Papua New Guinea.

FPCD is a local NGO that works with indigenous forest resource owners in Madang province, PNG.•It established “The Indigenous Community Forestry Group certification scheme” in 2005, and promotes •exported sawn timber under the “Eco-timber” label.

Overview of PNGPopulation of approximately 5 million, comprising 700+ indigenous languages.•Around 87% forest cover, and 97% customary ownership of land.•Unsustainable logging practice and lack of compliance with forest laws.•Local people are marginalized and there is an unequal distribution of benefits•

Forest CertificationForest certification was introduced in 1996.•The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system was chosen because of its global credibility and •potential to empower resource owners.FPCD certification scheme currently comprises 5 members, with a total area of 3000ha. The first batch of •certified timber was produced in 2007, totaling 9m3.

Benefits & ChallengesFPCD certification scheme has the potential to increase income, improve living standards, build community •capacity, empower resource owners and sustain the natural environment.Government must:•

Enforce laws•Foster a market for value-added forest products•Support resource owners who want to implement sustainable forest management (SFM), but don’t have •the knowledge or meansExtend certification system to other parts of PNG•

ConclusionSFM can be achieved under existing laws, but landowners must be supported by other stakeholders•


Session 2: Open forumFollowing morning tea, Mr Hizon opened the Dialogue to comments/questions from the floor.Following is a broad summary of some key comments from participants, and responses from the five panelists.

RH = Rico HizonFL = Dr. Federico Francisco Lopez-CaseroAS = Amir SunarkoMI = Moray IslesTM = Timer ManurungCI = Caroline Imun

PNG: Has anyone here ever had any help from their government?Thailand: Questions statement from TM that people in Thailand can buy illegal logs from government officials. Do you have any evidence?RH: Despite all these standards/policies/measures that are in place, illegal logging figures continue to increase! Why?MI: Despite the existence of laws, people are always going to circumvent them.FL: International certification schemes require mutual recognition.Floor: (addresses CI) Corporate Social Responsibility – what is the level of commitment to help forest people? And is it an approach that can work to help implement SFM?CI: FPCD addresses social, environmental and economic concerns through certification.Malaysia: Outlines his intimate knowledge of each element of the panel (ie. past, present & future employment links). Points out that the panel contains representatives from two companies that have chosen to commit to sustainability, and emphasizes that this commitment requires the collaboration of senior management, which can take a very long time. Given that it is accepted we must act fast, how on earth can this be implemented across the board and across the region? Even with the commitment, the logistics (eg. auditing) are immense.AS: Recommends companies collaborate with NGOs for advice, credibility and stability. Identification to implementation can be achieved in just 3-5 years. MI: Points out that merely complying fully with current standards and policies etc can go a long way towards improving a company’s sustainability.Malaysia: Applies the metaphor of choosing to treat cancer by cutting off your head! You have to treat problems at the source. What has Telepak done to help tackle these problems, other than merely report? How can you say that 70% or 80% of timber going from Indonesia to Malaysia is illegal? Just because it is uncertified doesn’t mean

AFP Media conference featuring representatives from MOF Indonesia (Boen Purnama), TNC (David Cassells), MARD Vietnam (Hoai ), GTZ, Vietnam Timber Association (Nguyen Ton Quyen), MARD Vietnam (Tran Kim Long), DfID (Hugh Speechly), CIFOR (Frances Seymour). (Photo: Yani Saloh)


it’s illegal. Sorting out certification is Indonesia’s responsibility. We are just buying timber, it’s up to Indonesia to sort out where it comes from.TM: Malaysia always says that it’s Indonesia’s problem. And tries to delay. There are ongoing negotiations for an MoU between Malaysia and Indonesia, but the latest draft from Indonesia is unsigned by Malaysia. Most of the problems related to trade of illegal timber between Malaysia and Indonesia are Malaysian!Takeshi Toma, Japan: Why doesn’t anybody point the finger at Singapore, even though it imports large quantities of illegal timber?TM: We have a report on Singapore, and yes they import large quantities of illegal timber. They also harbor criminals from Indonesia as there are no extradition agreements.MI: (regarding potential for private sector to support small-scale, sustainable industries, like PNG) Yes, but it’s important to link suppliers with buyers and identify an end use. The challenge for a small producer is logistics – ie. getting the supply to the buyer, often from remote locations for a reasonable price. A potential solution could be to make agreements with large-scale freight suppliers conditional to providing cost-effective solutions for remote and emerging markets.Tony Bartlett, Australia: (i) Media articles are good for raising awareness, but often repeat statistics that may be inaccurate or out-of-date. (ii) How can sustainable operators encourage colleagues (or competitors) in private industry to do follow their lead?AS: There are benefits (or otherwise) to be gained for all operators from an industry-wide reputation.

ConclusionDr Dicky Simorangkir, Rare International and Dr David Cassells, TNC

Markets are changing in ways that should encourage legal and sustainable forest management and trade.•This should assist legal and sustainable producers by excluding unfair competition from illegal and unsustainable •producers.Governments can help these processes by streaming regulations for both community and industrial producers •to reduce costs and opportunities for corruption.Governments should review their charges and royalty structures to provide more direct incentives for •producers to adopt legal and sustainable production practices.Consumer and producer governments, development agencies, NGO’s, and other relevant parties should work •together to support accelerated capacity building for both community and commercial enterprises seeking to move towards legal and sustainable production.There is an immediate need for credible verification of legality to help buyers and sellers determine what is •legal and what is not.

Thank youMr Hugh Speechly, Department for International Development (DfID)The Dialogue was concluded by Mr Speechly, who thanked all of the participants for their enthusiastic involvement, the presenters, Mr Hizon and the event organizers, making special mention of Yani Saloh from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP).

Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance

and Governance


A s i a F o r e s t P a r t n e r s h i p Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance

and Governance

Dialogue on

National Convention Center, Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday, 24 April, 08:30-12:00 (room 313)

Asia Forest Partnership

A pivotal event of Asia-Pacific Forestry Week is the Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance and Governance, hosted by the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP).

This event will bring together leading experts and a variety of stakeholders to discuss sustainability in the trade of timber and forest products, and to develop strategies for success in an increasingly regulated environment.

It will provide a platform for participants to advance policy solutions, industry incentives and practical on-the-ground initiatives that address concerns about forest governance and legal compliance.

Listen to ExpertsMr. Rico Hizon,BBCAsiaBusinessandFinanceCorrespondent,willchairtheDialogue,whichwillfocusoncredibleandpractical outcomes for both policy makers and the timber industry. Major forestry players from across the region will examine the changes now underway in the global timber market and review their impacts.

Introduction by • Dr. Boen Purnama,SecretaryGeneral,MinistryofForestryIndonesia;ChairUNFF8Bureau.“Is legal and sustainable timber production important? Who for, and why?” Presented by • Mr. Timer Manurung, Telapak Indonesia.

“Are timber markets changing? If so, how and what are the implications for industry, forests, people and governments?“ •Presented by Dr. Federico Francisco Lopez-Casero, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan; and Mr. Moray Isles,DalhoffLarsen&Horneman(DLH),Vietnam.“How is the timber industry responding to changes in the global timber market and what challenges do they face?“ •Presented by Mr. Amir Sunarko,SumalindoLestari,Indonesia;andMs. Caroline Imun, Foundation for People and Community Development (FPCD), Papua New Guinea.

Express Your ViewsThese keynote presentations will be followed by an open forum, which will enable corporate, community and government participants to present their views. Hot topics are likely to include:

Forest governance and trends affecting regional and international timber trade; sustainability and legality standards; •timber procurement policies; Industry perspectives on ensuring legality of timber supplies and products; the role of the producer and the consumer in ensuring legality.

Build NetworksThe only way that an issue as important and as complex as sustainability in timber trade can be effectively addressed is if corporate, community and government all work together.

AFP’s Dialogue in Hanoi will provide a unique opportunity for relevant stakeholders to network with other interested parties, share information, establish partnerships and tackle some of the key forestry issues of our time.

Co-hosted by

www.asiaforests.org


o A F P D I A lO g u E Hanoi, 24 April 2008

Media EnquiriesFor further information, please contact:Yani Saloh, CIFOR/AFP Tim Cronin, CIFOR+84-906214275 [email protected] [email protected]

To introduce this event, and to set the tone for a wide-ranging and provocative dialogue, participants will be treated to a screening of The Forest of South East Sulawesi, winner of two categories at the 31st International Wildlife Film Festival 2008 Awards. The film documents the local community’s innovative and cooperative approach to combating the illegal timber trade.

Mr. Timer Manurung. Has coordinated Telepak’s forest campaign since 2005, after leading Yayasan Silvagama’s anti illegal logging program in Jogjakarta since 2001.

Mr. Rico Hizon. AnchorsBBCWorld’sdailybusinessandfinanceprogrammeAsiaBusinessReport, aswell astheWorldBusinessReport,livefromSingaporeeveryweekday morning.

Dr. Federico López-Casero. A policy researcher at IGES,Dr.López-Caseroexaminesthepolicychallengescurrently facing sustainable forest management in the Asia-Pacific region, in particular the obstacles to combating illegal logging in Japan.

Ms. Caroline Imun. FPCD is a Papua New Guinean non-government organisation that seeks to build the capacity of customary forest owners to manage and develop their forest resources, and to establish and promote models of best forestry practice.

Mr. Amir Sunarko, President Director of PT. Sumalindo Lestari Jaya, an Indonesia-based timber companyinvolved in timber processing and logging activities, the operation of industrial timber plantations, as well as export, import and local trading.

Dr. Boen M. Purnama. Having joined the Ministry of Forestry in 1977, he served as Director General of Forestry and Planning from 2002-2004 and has since held thepositionofSecretaryGeneral.Dr.BoenalsoChairstheUNFF-8Bureau.

Moderator and Speakers

AFP Media Conference Thursday, 24th April

10:00–10:30 (during coffee/tea and network session)National Convention Centre Hanoi, Viet Nam (room 313)

Key representatives available to discuss issues ranging from policy solutions, to industry incentives, to community initiatives, will include:

Dr. Boen Purnama• ,SecretaryGeneral,MinistryofForestryIndonesia/ChairfortheUNFF-8Bureau. • Dr. David Cassells, Director, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Asia Pacific Forest Program & Chief of Party, Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT).Ms. Frances Seymour• , Director General, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).Dr. Hugh Speechly• , Coordinator: Forest Governance and Trade Programme, Department for International Development (DFID). Representative from Vietnamese Government or private sector (tbc).•

Moderator

Speakers

Introduction

Mr. Moray Isles. Has over 21 years experience in tropical agriculture, forestry and timber trade, and has worked in over 50 countries.In2004IslesestablishedtheHoChiMinhofficeofDLH,the world’s largest trader and producer of hardwoods.


MEDIA ALERT

Media Conference on

TIMBER TRADE, FOREST LAW COMPLIANCE

and GOVERNANCE at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week

WHAT: Media Conference, during the Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance & Governance

WHEN: Thursday, 24th April, 10:00 – 10:30am WHERE: National Convention Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam (room 313)

The most important decisions that will determine the future of Asia’s forests, and the millions of people who depend on them, will ultimately be made in corporate board meetings and parliamentary assemblies.

Introduced by Dr. Boen Purnama, Secretary General, Ministry of Forestry Indonesia, and moderated by Mr. Rico Hizon, BBC Asia Business and Finance Correspondent, this crucial dialogue will bring together world-renowned experts and key decision-makers to help ensure that such decisions are as thoroughly informed and as balanced as possible.

The Asia Forest Partnership invites media to participate in this plenary session (to be held from 08:30 – 12:00) and to attend a media conference that will be held during a half hour interval (10:00 – 10:30).

Representatives available to provide a broad cross-section of perspectives related to sustainability in the trade of timber and forest products, will include:

Dr. David Cassells, Director, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Asia Pacific Forest Program & Chief of Party, Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT)

Dr. Boen Purnama, Secretary General, Ministry of Forestry Indonesia

Ms. Frances Seymour, Director General, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Mr. Hugh Speechly, Coordinator: Forest Governance and Trade Programme, Department for International Development (DfID)

Representative from Vietnamese Government or private sector (tbc)

Media Enquiries:

For further information, please contact:

Yani Saloh, CIFOR/AFP Tim Cronin, CIFOR +84 906214275 +62 [email protected] [email protected]


MEDIA RELEASE Embargoed until 24th April, 2008

International Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance & Governance

Hanoi, 24th April, 2008 – Delegates from all over the world will meet today to discuss issues surrounding timber trade, forest law compliance and governance. The dialogue will be held as part of Asia Pacific Forestry Week, currently being staged in Hanoi.

Forests in Asia account for over half a billion hectares, around one percent of which is being cleared per year (FAO, 2006). Recent concerns about forests to climate change have added to already intense debate around forest law enforcement, industrial wood demand and other complex dynamics that impact on logging, both legal and illegal.

“The future of Asia’s forests is no longer just the concern of scientists and NGOs fighting for the survival of these vital ecosystems and their charismatic fauna,” said David Cassells, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Forest Programme and the Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) initiative. “Forest management and use effects the lives of millions of people. It is big business and forests are high on the agenda for mainstream economic policy in a carbon constrained world.

“Many of the decisions that affect forests take place far away from the forests and the millions of people who depend most directly on them,” added Mr Cassells. “Historically, the decisions taken in boardrooms and government offices have led to over exploitation, forest loss and degradation.

“The policies and incentives that guide the actions of the private sector must be re-aligned so that business becomes part of the solution, not an ongoing source of the problem. Businessmen, foresters, NGOs and communities must talk and work together to secure a sustainable future for Asia’s forests. This is why an event like this one is so important.”

The dialogue will provide a platform for participants to advance policy solutions, industry incentives and practical on-the-ground initiatives. Issues to be addressed will include trends affecting regional and international timber trade, sustainability and legality standards, and timber procurement policies.

“Many people think we could halt deforestation if we just stopped illegal logging,” said Frances Seymour, Director General, the Center for International Forestry Research. “But there are a number of complex factors that drive forest law, many of which originate outside of the forestry sector, and we have to be careful that law enforcement efforts do not harm the millions of people who rely on forests for their livelihoods,” added Ms Seymour.


“Solving the problems will require cooperation across national boundaries and the involvement of a large number of stakeholders. Dialogues such as this one can help build a consensus among these many actors about what needs to be done.”

So, sustainable management of forest resources is not just an environmental issue, but a social, political and economic one too. And sustainable management of forests in Asia is not just the responsibility of countries in Asia, but for developed countries whose seemingly insatiable demand for timber products often drives illegal logging.

“This demand impacts heavily on the economies of developing countries and the livelihoods of their rural communities,” said Hugh Speechly, from the Department for International Development’s (DfID) Forest Governance and Trade Programme.

“Timber-producing nations lose more than $US15 billion a year due to uncollected royalties, and trade in illegally procured timber is estimated to depress world prices by up to 16%, making it difficult for legal operators to compete.

“The UK's Forest Governance and Trade Programme is confronting this problem by harnessing market leverage in timber consuming countries to encourage governance reform in producing countries. We see this dialogue as an important part of these efforts,” added Mr Speechly.

The Dialogue will be introduced by Dr. Boen Purnama, Secretary General, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, and will be moderated by Mr. Rico Hizon, BBC Asia Business and Finance Correspondent.

A selection of presentations will be followed by an open forum. A media conference will also be held during a half hour interval (10:00 – 10:30am), providing local and international media with the opportunity to question a diverse panel.

The event will be hosted by the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP), a multi-stakeholder alliance to facilitate and promote discussion, information exchange, and collaborative action for the sustainable management of forests in the Asia-Pacific region. AFP was launched in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

It has been organised by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia (MoF).

Media Enquiries:

For further information, please contact:

Yani Saloh, CIFOR/AFP Tim Cronin, CIFOR +84 906214275 +62 [email protected] [email protected]


Over 70 people attended the launch, including several collaborators from both publications. Dr Dahal presented the key findings from the first book, which looks into a wide range of initiatives related to decentralization in the Asia Pacific region. He was followed by Hari Priyadi, from CIFOR’s Environmental Services program, who summarised the second book, for which he contributed two chapters. This looks specifically at examples of decentralization in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

CIFOR Book LaunchesLessons from Forest Decentralization. • Carol J. Pierce Colfer, Ganga Ram Dahal and Doris Capistrano Managing Forest Resources in a Decentralized Environment. • Petrus Gunarso, Titiek Setyawati, Terry Sunderland and Charlie Shackleton.

Ganga Ram Dahal (left) signs a copy of ‘Lessons from Forest Decentralization’, one of two CIFOR publications launched during Asia Pacific Forest Week. CIFOR’s Hari Priyadi (right) discusses ‘Managing Forest Resources in a Decentralized Environment’ with a participant at APFW. Hari contributed two chapters to the book. (Phot: Yani Saloh)

CIFOR’s launch of two studies into decentralization attracted strong interest from APFW participants. (Photo: Yani Saloh)

CIFOR Sumary Report 25

Poverty Reduction through Forestry-related Activities in Asia: A Seminar on IFAD supported forestry-related programmes in collaboration with CIFOR, ICIMOD and ICRAF26 April 2008

Adrian Albano provided an overview of IFAD’s loan portfolio work for improving income generation among forest communities. The session was hosted by IFAD in collaboration with CIFOR, ICIMOD and ICRAF.

Synergies and tradeoffs of biodiversity conservation and local livelihoodsAuthor/s: Luke Preece, Terry Sunderland, Bruce CampbellInstitution: CIFOR

Abstract: This poster briefly presents the aims, intended outcomes and methods of the MacArthur funded project. The three-year project is in its second year and focuses on 15 sites in the Lower Mekong countries, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Research is focused on four key sections: a case comparison of integrated conservation and development projects, a detailed site analysis of two conservation areas in Cambodia and Vietnam, a local livelihood study and the development and exploration of a systems model to analyse intervention scenarios at conservation areas. For more information please visit: www.cifor.cgiar.org/conservation/_ref/home/index.htm

Poster Session

CIFOR was a strong supporter of Forestry Week’s poster session. Nguyen Nghia Lan (far right) was on hand to talk about the Lower Mekong Conservation and Development project. (Photo: Yani Saloh)


TV and Radio:Television: three agencies: VTV1, HTV and VCTV•ABC Radio Australia: 24 April, Breakfast talk •Vietnam radio: VOV - Voice of Vietnam•

List of Media Hit

Media Hit1 21-Apr-08 Vietnam News Agency Vietnam Wire2 22-Apr-08 Vietnam Net Vietnam Online3 23-Apr-08 Thông Tấn Xã Việt Nam Vietnam Online Nâng cao chất lượng rừng ứng phó

với biến đổi khí hậu APFW, Hanoi Daniel

Murdiyarso4 23-Apr-08 Vietnam News Agency Vietnam Online Forest quality improvement and climate

change adaptation5 24-Apr-08 Quan Doi Nhan Dan Vietnam Online Vietnam focuses on forest management

to deflect climate changeAFPW, Hanoi Daniel

Murdiyarso6 24-Apr-08 Vietnam News Agency Vietnam Wire VN manages forest to deflect climate

changeAFPW, Hanoi Daniel

Murdiyarso7 25-Apr-08 Le quotidien “Vietnam

Daily”Vietnam Online Le Vietnam veille à améliorer la qualité

des forêtsAFPW, Hanoi Daniel

Murdiyarso8 26-Apr-08 NhanDan Vietnam Online Vietnam manages forests to deflect

climate changePolicy tool Daniel

Murdiyarso9 24-Apr-08 Jakarta Post Indonesia Print Changes in forest management policies

urgent AFP Frances

Seymour10 24-Apr-08 Jakarta Post Indonesia Online Changes in forest management policies

urgent AFP Frances

Seymour11 26-Apr-08 Jakarta Post Indonesia Print Illicit timber trade rife in Asia Pacific,

NGO saysAFPW, Hanoi Frances

Seymour12 27-Apr-08 AFP International Wire Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,

food demand surge: expertsTimber, climate change Daniel

Murdiyarso13 27-Apr-08 Times of India India Online Rainforests vanishing as timber

demand surgeTimber, climate change Daniel

Murdiyarso14 27-Apr-08 Yahoo! News UK &

IrelandUK & Ireland Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,


Murdiyarso15 27-Apr-08 Yahoo! News Canada Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,

food demand surge: experts Timber, climate change Daniel

Murdiyarso16 27-Apr-08 Khaleej Times Online India Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,

food demand surgeTimber, climate change Daniel

Murdiyarso17 27-Apr-08 Today online Singapore Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,


Murdiyarso18 27-Apr-08 The Post Pakistan Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber,

food demand surgeAPFW, Hanoi Daniel

Murdiyarso19 27-Apr-08 Inquirer.net Philippine Online Experts say: Asia’s rainforests

vanishing as timber, food demand surge

APFW, Hanoi Daniel Murdiyarso

20 28-Apr-08 Jakarta Post Indonesia Print Forestry policies should aim to fight poverty, says Asia-Pacific commission

climate change Daniel Murdiyarso

21 28-Apr-08 Taiwan News Taiwan Online Asian rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge, say experts

Timber, climate change Daniel Murdiyarso

22 28-Apr-08 Manila Times Philippine Online Rainforests vanishing as timber, food demands surge–experts


23 28-Apr-08 NewsToday Bangladesh Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge

APFW, Hanoi Daniel Murdiyarso

24 30-Apr-08 ABC Radio Australia Radio Food demand a threat to forests APFW, Hanoi Daniel Murdiyarso

25 01-May-08 Tehran Times Iran Online Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts



The Jakarta PostApril 24, 2008

Changes in forest management policies urgent Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, HanoiForestry nations must change their forest management policies to help counter the effects of climate change and skyrocketing prices of food and fuel, leading forestry experts have said.

The experts, speaking at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference here Tuesday, said climate change, soaring fuel prices and poverty, combined with increasing demand for forest products, would pose unprecedented challenges to the forestry sector in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Meeting the challenges requires enormous growth in skills and knowledge and reinvention of many existing forestry institutions," head of forestry for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jan Heino, said.

"We must change. Forestry can't continue on the same path as in past decades." More than 600 forestry experts and government officials from across the region are attending the conference,

which will run until Saturday. The conference, organized by the FAO, aims to identify ways to resolve forestry-related problems, such as

enforcing laws against illegal logging and reducing poverty among communities living in forest regions. According to renowned ecologist and author Norman Myers, the world has not made protecting forests a

priority, with only US$20 billion per year allocated to conservation. "Globally, countries are spending at least $200 billion each year on perverse subsidies that destroy biodiversity

habitats, while the entire expenditure on conservation is less than a tenth of that amount," the author of The Sinking Ark told the conference.

Indonesia, which has the world's largest amount of rainforest with 120 million hectares, has come under pressure to improve the management of its forestry sector, especially given claims illegal logging is benefiting the rich.

Norman Jiwan, a researcher at Sawit Watch and a representative of an indigenous community of Kerambai people in Sanggau district, West Kalimantan, said government policies had destroyed local communities.

"The forest and natural resources helped Kerambai people survive before Indonesia's independence but their lives have changed since the government awarded concession permits to open the forest for palm oil plantations," Norman said.

Frances Seymour of the Center for International Forestry Research said Indonesia was a globally significant source of greenhouse gas emissions because of peat fires.

"New interest in forests because of climate change provides an opportunity to shift the political economy of forests," she said.

Seymour said climate change was likely to increase the probability of high-intensity rainfall events, which would in turn increase the risk of landslides.

"Maintenance of forest vegetation can help stabilize the slope for some types of land movement," she said. Decision makers do not care much about forest, as evident in the continuing tolerance for destructive logging

practices, overinvestment in wood-processing capacity and illegal logging and trade, she said.



Government delegatesfrom Asia-Pacific coun-tries say they are skep-

tical of reports that illegaltimber trade remains wide-spread in the region despitepolicies in place against it.

The British-funded non-governmental organization(NGO) Telapak Indonesia saidThursday it had carried outintensive investigations overthe past 10 years and foundthat illegal wood trade wasstill common in the region.

“All countries of the AsiaPacific still suffer from illegallogging and trade activities,”Telapak forest campaignerTimer Manurung told partici-pants at the Asia-Pacific ForestWeek forum in Hanoi,Vietnam.

He said the organization’srecent investigations showedabout 600,000 cubic meters oflogs were harvested illegally inLaos in 2006 and then smug-gled to border areas — mainlyVietnam — and made into fur-niture for export.

The report was publishedin March after one year ofinvestigation.

“We also found that Thai-land and Malaysia are stillconsuming illegal timber fromLaos,”he said.

In Indonesia it is still com-mon to find logs cut fromunsustainable forests in addi-tion to illegal logging activi-ties, said Timer.

Telapak’s findings, however,were refuted by Asia-Pacificcountry delegates.

“The report is wrong. Viet-nam has several regulations tofight illegal logging,” NguyenTon Quyen, chairman of theVietnam Timber Association,told a press conference.

“We have forest protection

police and custom officesdealing with illegal loggingissues.”

Vietnam began imposingcontrol on logging in 1992with an 80 percent reductionin the logging quota and anexport ban. Thailand bannedlogging in 1989.

A study by the Environmen-tal Investigation Agency (EIA)suggested that in 2005 a totalof 300,000 cubic meters ofmerbau logs were smuggledfrom Southeast Asia to North-east Asia every month.

It said most suspicious tim-ber exported from SoutheastAsian countries was processedwithin Asia, and much was re-exported in the form of fin-ished products to North Amer-ica and Europe.

Indonesia’s ministry offorestry secretary generalBoen Purnama said the regionhad seen a decline in defor-estation.

“But illegal logging and itsrelated trade is still wide-spread, despite all efforts thatmany governments havemade,”he told the conference.

“The fact that logs are sovisible does not necessarilymean that their control is sim-ple. There are many actorsinvolved, many of whom havestrong influence both in termsof power and finances.”

Boen, who is also chairmanof the UN Forest Forum, saidsolutions were urgently need-ed to tackle illegal logging.

Asia’s forests account forover half a billion hectares,around 1 percent of which isbeing cleared every year,according to a report from theUN Food and Agriculture Orga-nization (FAO) which sponsorsthe Asia Pacific forestry week.

The Center for InternationalForestry Research (Cifor) saidsolving the problem of illegallogging required cooperationacross national boundaries aswell as the involvement of thestakeholders.

“Many people think we can stop deforestation bystopping illegal logging,” saidCifor director general FrancesSeymour.

“There are a number of fac-tors that drive forest law, manyof which originate outside theforestry sector, and we have tobe careful that law enforce-ment efforts do not harm mil-lions of people who rely onforests for their livelihood.”

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Saturday, April 26, 2008 3HEADLINES

“We also found that Thailand andMalaysia are still consuming illegal timber from Laos.”

— Timer Manurung

UN chief calls forimmediate action to solve food crisis

Illicit timbertrade rife inAsia Pacific,NGO says

DUST IN THE WIND

Chinese tourists cover upFriday to protect themsel-ves from dust in Beijing’sOlympic Green Zone. Thecity said Friday it would suspend all earthwork construction projects onwindy days.

Indonesian sports addicted to tobacco sponsors

Indonesian sports associations aretrying to wean themselves off spon-sorships from tobacco companies,

as the government looks to follow theexample of other Asian nations whohave banned the practice.

“I agree that ideally, tobacco compa-nies should not sponsor any sportingevents. But we can’t ban their sponsor-ship now because we don’t have otherpotential sources of funds,” State Min-ister of Youth and Sports AffairsAdhyaksa Dault told The Jakarta Poston Thursday.

He said current restrictions fortobacco advertising on broadcasting

hours and for junior sports events maybe extended to a ban in the next fiveyears.

He is supportive of sports associa-tions that try to find nontobacco spon-sors, he said.

The Indonesian Soccer Association(PSSI), a main recipient of tobaccosponsorship through its league organi-zation, said it was considering thetelecommunications industry as analternative source of support.

“We are now trying to lobby poten-tial sponsors like telecommunicationsoperators and state-owned companiesto be prepared when the governmentactually bans tobacco sponsorship,”said Herman Ago, the PSSI deputy sec-retary-general for marketing.

The association has a long historywith tobacco brands, including DjiSam Soe, which supported Copa andDjarum in the country’s premier leaguelast year.

He said the PSSI was very depen-dent on tobacco sponsorship becausethe industry could provide largeramounts of funds than other partnercompanies.

“I have heard that in the next threeor five years the government may bancigarette companies from sponsoringsports events,”he said.

He said many countries had imple-mented the ban and he expectedIndonesia to follow suit.

Since 2003, as many as 154 coun-tries, including Indonesia’s neighbors

Malaysia and Singapore, have signedthe WHO Framework Convention onTobacco Control.

The 13th article of the frameworksays that each signatory shall applyrestrictions on all tobacco advertising,promotion and sponsorships. Indonesiahas not signed it.

Hanny Surkatty, an organizing chiefof the Proliga national indoor volley-ball championship, acknowledged thatit was difficult for them to wean them-selves off funds provided by tobaccocompanies.

Mohammad Saleh Aman, a professorof Malaya University, said the govern-ment could encourage nontobaccocompanies to sponsor sports events byreducing their corporate tax. (ind)

United Nations (UN)Secretary General BanKi-moon called for

immediate concerted actionFriday to resolve the globalfood crisis.

“The steeply rising price offood has developed into a realglobal crisis,” Ban told jour-nalists at a news conferenceheld at the UN’s Vienna head-quarters, where the leader wasinaugurating a new building.

“The United Nations is verymuch concerned, as all othermembers of the internationalcommunity are. We must takeimmediate action in a concert-ed way throughout the inter-national community.”

Rising populations, strongdemand from developingcountries, increased cultiva-tion of crops for biofuels andincreasing floods and droughtshave sent food prices soaringacross the globe.

Ban estimated that around100 million of the world’spoorest who previously did notrequire help now can also notafford to buy food.

“In the short term, we mustaddress all the humanitariancrises which have beenimpacting poorest of poor peo-ple in the world,”he said.

The UN World Food Pro-gramme (WFP) had made an

urgent appeal for additionalUS$755 million to fill the gap.

But in the medium tolonger term,“the internation-al community and its leadersin particular should sit downtogether on an urgent basisand address how we can firstof all improve the economicsystem, the distribution sys-tems, as well as how we canpromote new production ofagricultural products”.

Ban will host a meeting ofkey agencies next week in theSwiss capital Bern to discussthe growing global food crisis.

“The global food crisis andthe solutions that the UN canbring to it will be at the cen-ter of the discussions” whichwill take place behind closeddoors Monday and Tuesday atthe offices of the UniversalPostal Union, UN spokes-woman Elena Ponomarevatold journalists.

Ban will be joined by thehead of the WFP, JosetteSheeran, as well as WorldBank head Robert Zoellickand the director of the UN’sFood and Agriculture Organi-zation Jacques Diouf.

He will also meet SwissPresident Pascal Couchepinand Foreign Minister Miche-line Calmy-Rey in the evening,before traveling to Geneva onTuesday to give a lecture at UNheadquarters there on the Mil-lennium Development Goals.

The Jakarta PostJakarta

Reuters/Claro Cortes IV

Agence France-PresseVienna

Adianto P. SimamoraThe Jakarta Post/Hanoi

Delegates from the AsiaPacific ended a mee-ting here Saturday

calling for forestry policies tofocus on people-centereddevelopment to help alleviateglobal poverty.

They said the now much-debated climate change issueshad been one of the vehicles toreturn forestry affairs to thetop of the world’s agendaduring the past two years.

“A key recommendationfrom the Asia Pacific ForestryCommission (APFC) is to con-tinue efforts to enhance com-munity-based forest manage-ment and forestry initiativesthat help reduce poverty,” saidJan Heino, assistant director ofthe Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), whichorganized the week-long Asia-Pacific forestry forum.

The commission also calledfor greater attention andassistance to build the capaci-ties of forestry countries to enable them to participatein increasingly complicatedmechanisms being developedas part of the climate changeagenda.

“The world is changingrapidly and the forestry sectorcan’t ask it to turn more slowly.Therefore, the drive for conti-nuous improvement, to dothings better, to reinvent our-selves and institutions, must beever-present.”Heino said.

The commission said rapidchanges to forestry challengesrequired new responses bothfrom within and outsideforestry sectors.

“The importance of develo-ping multi-sectoral approa-ches and holistic policies isnecessary to avoid inconsis-tencies and conflicts in theforestry sector,” the commis-sion said in a statement.

The APFC forum, held inHanoi, Vietnam, as part of thefirst-ever Asia Pacific forestryweek, was attended by govern-ment delegates to discuss

forestry issues in the region.Its recommendations, howe-

ver, are not legally binding formember countries.

The world’s two biggestemitters of greenhouse gasemissions, the United Statesand China, attended the mee-ting. China will host the nextAPFC meeting in 2010.

The UN climate changeconference in Bali last yearadopted the so-called redu-cing emissions from defores-tation and degradation indeveloping countries (REDD)as a mechanism to slash carbon emissions.

Under the Bali roadmap,forestry countries are allowedto host pilot projects until2012 when the world is expec-ted to issue a new commit-ment in emissions reductionto replace the existing bin-ding target set in the KyotoProtocol.

In return for avoiding cut-ting down trees, the hostcountry of REDD pilot pro-jects will receive financialincentives voluntarily fromrich nations.

The commission said emer-ging forest carbon fundingmechanisms must rewardcountries for retaining forestsand reducing damage to exis-ting forests.

“The ‘perverse’ incentivesthat encourage forest lossmust be avoided,”the commis-sion said.

Some delegates, however,expressed concerns that thecomplexity of forest carbonaccounting mechanisms mightconstrain some countries fromparticipating in forest-basedresponses to climate change.

“As foresters, we need toask ourselves: if we have notsucceeded in sustainableforestry management, why dowe think we will do any betterwith REDD,” said foresterShamsudin Ibrahim fromMalaysia.

Indonesian delegate NurMasripatin said she had noclear idea of financing mecha-nisms for REDD projects.

“I also don’t know wherethe money for the REDD pro-jects would come from,” saidNur, a senior official at theForestry Ministry.

Indonesia is the region’s lar-gest forestry nation with 120million hectares of forests.

Experts have projected thatthe world’s forests could save27 gigatons of carbon dioxide.

The world’s deforestationrate has reached 11 millionhectares per year, due partly to the conversion offorests to palm oil and soybe-an plantations.

Indonesian climate expertDaniel Murdiyarso urged thespeeding up of discussionsabout criteria for prepared-ness in implementing REDDprojects.

“We are in a hurry since weonly have two years to discussthe REDD concept,” he toldthe forum.

Forest People’s programdirector Marcus Colchestgersaid forestry countries alsoneeded to calculate the num-ber of people living in andaround forests to formulatepayment distributions.

“We often hear that onebillion people are dependenton forests, but the reality isthat the statistic and numbersare extremely poor. It is ashocking that we are movinginto the 21st century and don’tknow how many people live inforests,”he said.

Question: What is the Presi-dential Advisory Council’sstance on the recommendationto ban Ahmadiyah.

Answer: The council had ameeting to discuss this matterlast Friday. The session wasmarked with very intensedebate, with so many pros andcons. I cannot go into detailbecause this is an internalthing. Until now, the councilhas yet to decide on any insti-tutional recommendation.What is available is counselfrom individual members, likewhat I have submitted to thePresident. Other members areallowed to do the same.

What is your advice to thePresident?

Well, I cannot disclose it tothe public without the Presi-dent’s permission. I cannot evenshare this with the Vice Presi-dent. But this advice is not fromAdnan on a personal level, butas a member of the council.

What is your stance on thecontroversial Ahmadiyah sect?

My opinion from the begin-ning has been that the statemust protect the right to life of all its citizens, regard-less of their religion, race and cultural background. Anyreligious group has the right toembrace any religion and toexpress its beliefs. This free-dom is guaranteed by the Con-stitution and laws. It’s a mat-ter of principle for me, very

principle and fundamental. Icannot tolerate seeing mem-bers of a so-called deviantgroup forced to repent in frontof the police. What kind ofcountry do we have?

Do you think the Presidentwill allow for the issuance of ajoint ministerial decree to banAhmadiyah?

I know the government isunder pressure because theIndonesian Ulema Council haspublicly declared Ahmadiyaha heretical sect. However, heneeds to be firm in this matter.He has to reject BakorPakem’s recommendation andnot issue such a decree to out-law Ahmadiyah. The govern-ment has to facilitate dialogueamong all parties to find thebest solution for Ahmadiyah.We have to agree to disagree.We cannot repress others justbecause they are different. Idon’t want to see this any-more. We had it enough in thepast, when Indonesian Com-munist Party (PKI) memberswere massacred.

But the grassroots seem tosupport Bakor Pakem’s recom-mendation against Ahmadiyah?

I don’t think so. A policereport said those involved inattacks on Ahmadiyah prop-erty came from other areas.

Ahmadiyah members havebeen living peacefully inIndonesia since 1925. Peoplehave raised Ahmadiyah as an issue just in the last three years.

Who is behind this? I amconcerned that this is theinfluence from Saudi Arabiathrough hard-line groups thatcome to our pesantren (Islam-ic boarding schools). Theyincite society to hate Ah-madiyah and demand theclosing of this sect. I think thisis in line with the way Pak-istan’s military regime dis-solved Ahmadiyah earlier. Ithink law enforcers need to betough on these groups. Theycan be charged with provoca-tion and intimidation.

To what extent can thestate interfere in people’s reli-gious life?

State intervention must beproportional.When it comes tobelief and religious devotion,the state absolutely has noright to interfere. This is a pri-vate relationship between

individuals and their god. Butwhen it comes to social life, wehave to democratically decideon the way we want to livetogether.

This is the essence of consti-tutional democracy, a democ-racy that is not only based onmajority votes but also pro-tected by the Constitution.Thus, it’s not a matter ofmajority only, but there arehigher values within the Con-stitution that guarantee theright to life for all of us.This iswhy we need to defend theConstitution. I call on moder-ate Islamic scholars loyal tothe Constitution to wake upand fight these authoritarianideologies.

When will the PresidentialAdvisory Council issue a insti-tutional recommendation onAhmadiyah?

It depends on the ongoingprocess because there isdebate inside the council. Solet us see. To be honest, I amalso wondering whether thecouncil has the guts in this

case. Or, it’s also possible thatthe council will simply ignorethis case.

In the beginning, some areworried that the councilwould be too powerful orhigher than the Cabinet andeven the President. In fact, it’snot like what people think.It’s not easy even for thecouncil to meet the President.But some of our recommenda-tions have influenced thePresident’s decisions, such as our advice on the selectionmethod for new judges of the Constitutional Court andthe fifth amendment of theConstitution.

Would you provide legalsupport for Ahmadiyah if thegovernment banned the sect?

That has been the LegalAid Institute (LBH)’s consen-sus. I am no longer the LBHhead, so I am not involved indealing with the case. TheLBH will definitely defendAhmadiyah. It will be backedby the Indonesian Legal AidFoundation.

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Monday, April 28, 2008 3HEADLINES

“The importance of developing multi-sectoral approaches

and holistic policies isnecessary to avoidinconsistencies and

conflicts in theforestry sector.”

—APFC

DISCOURSE

ADNAN BUYUNGNASUTION

‘State cannot meddle in private religious beliefs’

Govt urged to shut down U.S. lab

Lawmakers have told the government to shutdown the U.S. Namru-2

research lab in Jakarta if Wash-ington continues to demanddiplomatic immunity for all itsresearchers working there.

“Why should we give diplo-matic immunity to aresearcher? It doesn’t makesense and is suspicious. If theU.S. keeps on pushing fordiplomatic status for theirresearchers, then the govern-ment must terminate the lab’soperation,”Andreas Pareira ofthe Indonesian DemocraticParty of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

Andreas, a member of theHouse of Representatives’Com-mission I on defense, securityand foreign affairs, said Indone-sia had compromised its securi-ty by granting too many for-

eigners diplomatic immunity.Indonesia and the United

States are now negotiating anew memorandum of under-standing to extend the opera-tion of the Naval MedicalResearch Unit No. 2 (Namru-2) after the previous agree-ment expired in 2005.

Indonesia offered last weekto grant diplomatic immunityto only two American officialsat Namru-2 and demandedthat the laboratory be moretransparent in its operations.

In response, the UnitedStates through its embassyhere has insisted that all 19 ofits citizens at the laboratory begiven diplomatic immunity.The United States also deniedthe lab was not transparent.

Earlier, lawmaker Mutam-mimul Ula of the ProsperousJustice Party (PKS) demandedthe government stop the lab’soperation and investigate alle-

gations that it was used forintelligence activities.

Golkar lawmaker HarryAzhar Azis joined the call forthe lab’s closure, saying he hadnot seen its benefits for theIndonesian people.

“The MOU should be mutu-ally beneficial and we can’taccept an international agree-ment that can possibly damageus. We just have to be toughand say no if the U.S. pushesus,”he said.

Political scientist Dewi For-tuna Anwar of the IndonesianInstitute of Sciences under-lined the importance of mutu-al benefits in a joint researchlab, while questioning themotive of asking for diplomat-ic immunity for researchers.

“As a researcher, we don’tneed immunity status as we canbe charged if we violate regula-tions, such as stealing data orplagiarism. Is the U.S. trying to

protect their researchers frombeing charged for such illegalactions?”she said.

Rector of the BandungInstitute of Technology (ITB)Djoko Santoso said the gov-ernment had to feel the bene-fits of a joint research lab.

“If not, what is the use of continuing such research?”he said.

Several Indonesian offi-cials, including Health Minis-ter Siti Fadilah Supari andDefense Minister JuwonoSudarsono, have said the lablacks transparency.

Juwono said Thursday theUnited States had rejectedincluding Indonesian Military(TNI) scientists in the lab’soperations.

Former TNI chief Gen.Wiranto and former foreignminister Ali Alatas in 1999also asked then president BJHabibie to close the lab.

Forestry policies should aim to fight poverty, says Asia-Pacific commission

The Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society (Bakor Pakem) has issued a recommendationfor the government to ban the Islamic sect Jamaah

Ahmadiyah. The Jakarta Post’s Riyadi Suparno and Alfian Idrisdiscussed the issue with prominent lawyer and PresidentialAdvisory Council member Adnan Buyung Nasution, who iscounseling President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono not to allow ajoint ministerial decree outlawing the “deviant” sect.

Antara/Rezza Estily

FIRST LESSON: A German coach introduces a juggling technique to participants ofthe Kids Coaching Clinic at Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung, West Java, on Sunday. The clinicwas held to introduce more children, particularly girls, to soccer.

Adianto P. SimamoraThe Jakarta Post/Hanoi

Abdul KhalikThe Jakarta Post/Jakarta

JP/J

. Adi

guna

National News - Saturday, April 26, 2008

Monday, April 28 2008


Last updated: 17:25 - April 26, 2008

Vietnam manages forests to deflect climate change

In an effort to fight climate change, Vietnam will continue to work to increase forest coverage and im-portantly, ensure the quality of forest, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said on April 23.

Apart from boosting preservation of biodiversity, Vietnam will strengthen silvicultural methodology, said DeputyDirectorofInternationalCooperationDepartmentundertheMARD,TranKimLong,onthesidelinesof the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission in Hanoi .Intermsofpolicy,MrLongsaid,astrategyonforestrydevelopmentby2020hasbeenapproved,whichhas given an impetus for improving effective management of forests.

Dr Daniel Murdiyarso from the Centre for International Forestry Research, said the strategy is a promising start to improvement and provides a solid policy tool to support further work.

Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Jan Heino also commended Vietnam’s approach so far in sustainable forest management.

Vietnam has developed a number of programmes and projects to protect and develop forests, including Programme 327 to “green” wastelands and bare hills, and a project to plant 5 million hectares of forest from 1998-2010. In addition, the law on forest protection and development was amended in 2004.

As a result, Vietnam has increased its forest acreage from 9.3 million ha in 1995 to 12.87 million ha in 2006. The forest coverage now is 38% of the country as compared to over 20% in the 1990s.

The Asia -Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission is being held from April 21-25. The event attracted the participation of over 400 representatives from 33 members of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, over 30 non-governmental organisations, research institutes and businesspeople. (VNA)


Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts

Hanoi 27 April

HANOI (AFP) — Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber de-mand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.

The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, biofuel and rubber plantations, is worsening global warming, species loss and poverty, they said.

Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford University’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week confer-ence in Hanoi.

“It’s one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago,” Myers said at the five-day meeting of 500 foresters, researchers, state officials and activists held last week in the Viet-namese capital.

Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 percent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching -- once a leading cause, mainly in South America -- which now caused five percent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainfor-est destruction, he said.

Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005 -- largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation -- said the UN Food and Agricul-ture Organisation (FAO).

“In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report. “Indo-nesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen significant losses.”

Ecologists stress that new forests in China, India and Vietnam are man-made plantations lacking high varieties of plant and animal species.

“Many plantations, in terms of biodiversity, are green concrete,” said Peter Walpole, head of the non-profit Asia Forest Network.

Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.

Commercial crops “will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific countries,” said the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.

Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from 53 bil-

lion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about 750 million dollars in 1990 to

3.1 billion dollars in 2005, the FAO said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America,

said FAO forestry economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and

institutions are extremely weak,” he said.The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent

of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of politi-cal families,” Walpole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.“BurmahasbeenloggedbyThaigenerals.AndifyoulookatthecorruptionofforestryinthePhilip-

pines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”

Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed disturbing trends.Vietnamwasnamedasamajorhubforillegally-loggedtimberfromneighbouringLaosinarecent


reportbyBritain’sEnvironmentalInvestigationAgencyandIndonesiangroupTelapak--aclaimHanoihas strenuously denied.

“Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accept-ing sawn timber from Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.

“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US -- in big or small volumes, they are all accepting that.”

Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and bio-diversity -- are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.

“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.”Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal

trade, and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pol-lution elsewhere.Butfornowtheseareideas,notrealities,andtheFAOreportcalledsupportforforestrycarbon

offset schemes “disappointing” so far. Khaleej Times Online >> News >> TODAY’S FEATURES

Asia’s rainforests vanishing astimber, food demand surge (AFP) 27 April 2008 HANOI - Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.


Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford University’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi.

“It’s one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago,” Myers said at the five-day meeting of 500 foresters, researchers, state officials and activists held last week in the Vietnamese capital.


The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainforest destruction, he said.

Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005 -- largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation -- said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

“In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report. “Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen significant losses.”



Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and


cosmetics as well as biodiesel.Commercial crops “will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-

Pacific countries,” said the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.

Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from

53 billion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about 750 million dollars in

1990 to 3.1 billion dollars in 2005, the FAO said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South

America, said FAO forestry economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies

and institutions are extremely weak,” he said.The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78

percent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Walpole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.

“Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philippines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”

Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed disturbing trends.

Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally-logged timber from neighbouring Laos in a recent report by Britain’s Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.

“Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.


Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and biodiversity -- are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.

“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.” Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in

the illegal trade, and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.

But for now these are ideas, not realities, and the FAO report called support for forestry carbon offset schemes “disappointing” so far.


Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: expertsYahoo Uk & IrelandBy Frank Zeller AFP - Sunday, April 27 05:04 am

HANOI (AFP) - Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn












Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from

53 billion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about 750 million dollars in

1990 to 3.1 billion dollars in 2005, the FAO said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South

America, said FAO forestry economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies

and institutions are extremely weak,” he said.The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78

percent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and


of political families,” Walpole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.

“Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philippines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”


Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally-logged timber from neighbouring Laos in a recent report by Britain’s Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.




“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.”Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in

the illegal trade, and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.

But for now these are ideas, not realities, and the FAO report called support for forestry carbon offset schemes “disappointing” so far.

vancouverSunNews Asian forests vanishing rapidlyFrank Zeller, Agence-France PressePublished: Saturday, May 03, 2008

Surging demand for timber in China and India is stripping the rest of Asia of most of its tropical rainforestHANOI - Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming

China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm,

biofuel and rubber plantations, is worsening global warming, species loss and poverty, they said.Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford University’s Prof. Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi.


Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 per cent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching --once a leading cause, mainly in South America -- which now caused five per cent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 per cent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 per cent of rainforest destruction, he said.

Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005, largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

“In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report.“Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen

significant losses.”Ecologists stress that new forests in China, India and Vietnam are man-made plantations lacking high varieties of

plant and animal species.“Many plantations, in terms of biodiversity, are green concrete,” said Peter Walpole, head of the non-profit Asia

Forest Network.Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm


Rainforests vanishing as timber demand surge 27 Apr 2008, 0859 hrs IST, AFP

HANOI: Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.




Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 per cent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching -- once a leading cause, mainly in South America -- which now caused five per cent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 per cent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 per cent of rainforest destruction, he said.







Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies. Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from 53 billion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.

India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about 750 million dollars in 1990 to 3.1 billion dollars in 2005, the FAO said.

Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO forestry economist C T S Nair.

“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions are extremely weak,” he said.

The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 per cent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Walpole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement. “BurmahasbeenloggedbyThaigenerals.AndifyoulookatthecorruptionofforestryinthePhilippines,it’s

tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.” Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have

revealed disturbing trends. Vietnamwasnamedasamajorhubforillegally-loggedtimberfromneighbouringLaosinarecentreport

byBritain’sEnvironmentalInvestigationAgencyandIndonesiangroupTelapak--aclaimHanoihasstrenuouslydenied.



Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and biodiversity -- are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research. Butfornowtheseareideas,notrealities,andtheFAOreportcalledsupportforforestrycarbonoffsetschemes

“disappointing” so far.


Asian rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge, say expertsBy Frank Zeller, Agence France-Presse 2008-04-28 12:46 AM

Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.


Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford Uni-versity’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi. “It’s one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago,” Myers said at the five-day meeting held last week in the Vietnamese capital.

Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 percent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching - once a leading cause, mainly in South America - which now caused five percent of world losses.


Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005 - largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation - said the U.N. food and Agriculture Organiza-tion.

Ecologists stress that new forests in China, India and Vietnam are man-made plantations lacking high va-rieties of plant and animal species.


Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate, cosmetics and biodiesel.

Commercial crops “will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific coun-tries,” said the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.

The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.


Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed disturbing trends. Vietnamwasnamedasamajorhubforillegally-loggedtimberfromneighboringLaosinarecentreport

byBritain’sEnvironmentalInvestigationAgencyandIndonesiangroupTelapak-aclaimHanoihasstrenuouslydenied.


“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the U.S. - in big or small volumes, they are all accepting that.”

Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests - clean air and water, and biodiver-sity - are not factored into market prices, said Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.

“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.” Solutions are being debated - including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal trade,

and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution else-where. But fornowtheseare ideas,not realities,and theFAO report calledsupport for forestry carbonoffset

schemes “disappointing” so far.


Rainforests vanishing as timber, food demands surge–experts HANOI: Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn. The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, biofuel and rubber plantations, is worsening global warming, species loss and poverty, they said.

Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford University Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week confer-ence in Hanoi.

“It’s one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago,” Myers said at the five-day meeting of 500 foresters, researchers, state officials and activists held last week in the Viet-namese capital.

Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 percent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching—once a leading cause, mainly in South America—which now caused 5 percent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainfor-est destruction, he said.

Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005—largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and reforestation—said the UN Food and Agricul-ture Organization (FAO).

“In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report. “Indo-nesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen significant losses.”



Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, espe-cially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.


Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies. Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from $53 bil-

lion in 1990 to $561 billion in 2004. India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about $750 million in 1990 to $3.1 bil-

lion in 2005, the FAO said. Forests’ environmental services not factored into timber prices Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America,

said FAO forestry economist C.T.S. Nair. “In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and

institutions are extremely weak,” he said. The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent

of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.


“Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philip-pines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”



Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally logged timber from neighboring Laos in a recent report by Britain’s Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak – a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.


“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US—in big or small volumes, they are all accepting that.”

Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests—clean air and water, and biodiversity—are not factored into market prices, said Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for Interna-tional Forestry Research.

“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.” Solutions are being debated—including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal

trade, and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pol-lution elsewhere.

But for now these are ideas, not realities, and the FAO report called support for forestry carbon offset schemes “disappointing” so far .

-- AFP

radioaustraliaProgram Guide Home | Connect Asia Home:

Food demand a threat to forestsDemand for food, energy and commodities is fueling unsustainable rates of deforestation.www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/connectasia.htm?page=home

Presenter:BillBainbridge

Speakers: Patrick Durst from the Food and Agricultural Organisation; •Myers is currently Professor and Visiting Fellow at Green CollegeOxford University; •Dr Daniel Murdiyarso from Indonesia’s Center for International Forestry Research•

Tags: environment forests


Thursday, May 1, 2008 | Volume: 10306

Asia's rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts

HANOI (AFP) -- Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.


Globally, tropical forest destruction “”is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford Univer-sity’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi.

”It’s one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago,” Myers said at the five-day meeting of 500 foresters, researchers, state officials and activists held last week in the Vietnamese capital.


The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustain-able as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainforest destruction, he said.


”In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report. “Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen significant losses.”


”Many plantations, in terms of biodiversity, are green concrete,” said Peter Walpole, head of the non-profit Asia Forest Network.

Yet what environmentalists call “”tree farms”” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.

Commercial crops ”will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific countries,” said the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.

Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies. Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from 53 billion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.


Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO forestry economist C.T.S. Nair.

”In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions are extremely weak,” he said.

The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

”The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Walpole said. ”If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.

”Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philippines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.” Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed dis-turbing trends. Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally-logged timber from neighboring Laos in a recent report by Britain’s Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied. ”Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.

”Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US -- in big or small volumes, they are all accepting that.”

Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and biodiversity -- are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research. “These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.”


plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.Commercial crops “will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific countries,” said

the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from $53 billion in 1990 to

$561 billion in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about $750 million in 1990 to $3.1 billion in 2005, the

FAO said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO

forestry economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions



VN commits to sustainable forest managementHanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai says the Vietnamese government is committed to continued efforts to effectively manage forest resources.

Addressing the launch of Asia-Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission in Hanoi on April 21, Deputy PM Hai said the government has over decades been making endless efforts to improve efficiency in forest and land management.

Vietnam has developed a number of programs and projects to protect and develop forests, including Programme 327 to “green” wastelands and bare hills, and a project to plant 5 million hectares of forest from 1998-2010, the government official said.

Additionally, the law on forest protection and development was amended in 2004 and a strategy on forestry development by 2020 has been approved.

As a result, Vietnam increased its forest acreage from 9.3 million ha in 1995 to 11.3 million ha in 2000 and 12.87 million ha in 2006, covering 38 percent of the country.

The Deputy PM also highlighted challenges the country faces, including increasing pressure on forests caused by the socio-economic development, a decrease of land funds for protected forests and the low competitiveness of forestry products.

Hai said he hoped the conference would bring Asian-Pacific countries and international organisations together to share experiences and find effective solutions to deal with challenges in forest management.

According to FAO Deputy General Director Jan Heino, the Forestry Week will focus on forest management in the context of social issues, environment and climate change, poverty and law.

He said the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission conference was a chance for participating countries to find out ways to protect forests, ensure livelihoods for forest plantation growers and develop forestry products.

Forestry officials from 33 regional countries, UN organisations and international organizations will participate in the Forestry Week and the associated conference.

With the topic “Forestry in a changing world”, the Forestry Week, taken place from 21-26 April 2008, will focus on social issues; environment and climate change; forestr and poverty; forest protection and manangement law; research and awareness rainsing on forest and conservation area management.


http://www.vnagency.com.vn/TrangChu/VN/tabid/58/itemid/246299/Default.aspx

FOREST QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION23/04/2008--7:58PM

Hanoi (TTXVN) - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) states that together with the effort to increase the forest cover, Vietnam will continue to improve the quality of the forest, in order to contribute in the fight against climate change.

Speaking at the side events of the Pacific Forestry Week and Asia Forestry Committee 22nd Conference in Hanoi, Vice director of the International Cooperation Department of MARD - Mr. Tran Kim Long says “Besides biodiversity conservation, Vietnam needs to improve the sivilculture technology in order to enrich the forest and to better the environment, landscape and produce more forest products”.

About policy, he said the Vietnamese Government had already approved the Forestry Development Strategy for Vietnam period 2006 - 2020, in which the focus is on management, sustainable forest protection, increase of forest environmental services, capacity building, and strengthen the institutions.”

According to Dr Daniel Murdiyardso from the Environmental Services Programme of Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, this program and other forestry tools showed that Vietnam had a good starting point and good policy tools to manage the sustainability of the forest.

Meanwhile, Dr Jan Heino, assistant to General Director of Forestry Department at FAO, thought that Vietnam has had a good approach in forestry policy, which increases the production of forest, increases the usage and sustainable forest management.

During the last few years, Vietnam has developed a number of programmes and projects to protect and develop forests, including Programme 327 to “green” wastelands and bare hills, and a project to plant 5 million hectares of forest from 1998-2010, and the law on forest protection and development was amended in 2004.

As a result, Vietnamese forest has overcome the degradation period. It has increased its forest acreage from 9.3 million ha in 1995 to 12.9 million ha in 2006. The forest coverage now is 38 percent of the country as compared to over 20 percent in the 1990s.

The Asia -Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission is being held from April 21-25 with thematic “Forestry in a Changing World”. The event attracted the participation of over 400 representatives from 33 members of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, over 33 non-governmental organizations, research institutes and businesspeople.



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23/04/2008 -- 7:58 PM

Hà N•i (TTXVN) - B• Nông nghi•p và Phát tri•n Nông thôn kh•ng đ•nh song song v•i n• l•c t•ng c••ng đ• che ph• r•ng, Vi•t Nam sẽ tiếp t•c nâng cao ch•t l••ng r•ng, đ• góp ph•n đ•i phó v•i tình tr•ng biến đ•i khí h•u toàn c•u.

Phát bi•u bên lề Tu•n l• Lâm nghi•p châu Á-Thái Bình D••ng và H•i ngh• •y ban Lâm nghi•p châu Á-Thái Bình D••ng l•n th• 22 t•i Hà N•i, V• phó V• H•p tác Qu•c tế B• Tr•n Kim Long cho r•ng “Bên c•nh vi•c b•o t•n đa d•ng sinh h•c, Vi•t Nam c•n tiếp t•c t•ng c••ng các bi•n pháp k• thu•t lâm sinh làm giàu r•ng nh•m đ•m b•o t•t h•n về môi tr••ng, c•nh quan và có nhiều h•n các s•n ph•m lâm nghi•p”.

Ông cho biết về chính sách, Chính ph• đã phê duy•t Chiếnl••c Phát tri•n Lâm nghi•p Vi•t Nam giai đo•n 2006-2020, trong đó t•p trung đến qu•n lý, b•o v• r•ng bền v•ng; t•ng c••ng d•ch v• môi tr••ng cho r•ng; đào t•o nhân l•c; và t•ng c••ng th• chế.

Theo Tiến s• Daniel Murdiyarso, thu•c Ch••ng trình d•ch v• môi tr••ng c•a Trung Tâm nghiên c•u Lâm nghi•p Qu•c tế(CIFOR), Inđônêxia, vi•c đ•a ra ch••ng trình này cùng nhiều bi•n pháp lâm nghi•p khác cho th•y Vi•t Nam có đi•mxu•t phát t•t và công c• chính sách t•t đ• qu•n lí r•ng bềnv•ng.

Trong khi đó, tiến s• Jan Heino, tr• lý T•ng Giám đ•c t•i Ban Lâm nghi•p c•a t• ch•c Nông-L••ng Liên h•p qu•c (FAO), cho r•ng Vi•t Nam đã có b••c tiếp c•n t•t trong chính sách lâm nghi•p, t•c là t•ng c••ng kh• n•ng s•n xu•t c•a r•ng, t•ng c••ng s• d•ng và qu•n lý r•ng bền v•ng.

Trong nh•ng n•m qua, Chính ph• Vi•t Nam đã th•c hi•n các ch••ng trình, đề án về b•o v• và phát tri•n r•ng nh• Ch••ng trình 327 về ph• xanh đ•t tr•ng đ•i núi tr•c; d• án tr•ng m•i 5 tri•u ha r•ng cho giai đo•n 1998-2010; s•a đ•iLu•t B•o v• và Phát tri•n r•ng vào n•m 2004.

•ến nay r•ng Vi•t Nam đã v••t qua th•i k• suy thoái, di•n tích r•ng đã t•ng t• 9,3 tri•u ha n•m 1995 lên 12,9 tri•u ha n•m 2006 và hi•n đ• che ph• c•a r•ng là 38% so v•i m•c trên 20% vào đ•u nh•ng n•m 90.

Tu•n l• Lâm nghi•p châu Á-Thái Bình D••ng và H•i ngh• •y ban Lâm nghi•p châu Á-Thái Bình D••ng di•n ra t• 21-25/4 v•i ch• đề “Lâm nghi•p trong b•i c•nh m•t thế gi•i đangthay đ•i”. S• ki•n này thu hút kho•ng trên 400 đ•i bi•u đến t• 33 thành viên c•a •y ban Lâm nghi•p châu Á-Thái Bình D••ng và h•n 30 t• ch•c phi chính ph• qu•c tế, vi•n nghiên c•u và doanh nghi•p./.

•NH TH•I S•

CÁC TIN CHÍNH

Nhiều ho•t đ•ng c•u tr• qu•c tế t•i Mianma

Quan h• Nga-Anh đang có d•u hi•u c•i thi•n

PetroVietnam h•p tác xây nhà máy s•n xu•t phân bón t•i Mar•c

Làm t•t h•n vi•c d• báo, tham m•u công tác đ•i ngo•i

S• quán VN tham gia h•i ch• v•n hoá • Oasinht•n

Vai trò c•a Ph•t giáo trong xây d•ng xã h•i

Trên 11.000 t• đ•ng xây Nhà máy ••m Ninh Bình

VAFI kiến ngh• t•ng thuếnh•p kh•u vàng

S•p có tri•n lãm qu•c tếvề đi•n h•t nhân t•i Hà N•i

VN vi•n tr• kh•n c•p cho các n•n nhân bão l•t Mianma

http://www.vnagency.com.vn/TrangChu/VN/tabid/58/itemid/246299/Default.aspx (1 of 2)5/12/2008 11:16:02 AM

VNA Links



Vietnam manages forests to deflect climate changeHanoi (VNA) – In an effort to fight climate change, Vietnam will continue to work to increase forest coverage and importantly, ensure the quality of forest, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said on April 23.

Apart from boosting preservation of biodiversity, Vietnam will strengthen silvicultural methodology, said Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department under the MARD, Tran Kim Long, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission in Hanoi.

In terms of policy, Long said, a strategy on forestry development by 2020 has been approved, which has given an impetus for improving effective management of forests.

Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso from the Centre for International Forestry Research, said the strategy is a promising start to improvement and provides a solid policy tool to support further work.

Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Jan Heino also commended Vietnam ’s approach so far in sustainable forest management.

Vietnam has developed a number of programmes and projects to protect and develop forests, including Programme 327 to “green” wastelands and bare hills, and a project to plant 5 million hectares of forest from 1998-2010. In addition, the law on forest protection and development was amended in 2004.

As a result, Vietnam has increased its forest acreage from 9.3 million ha in 1995 to 12.87 million ha in 2006. The forest coverage now is 38 percent of the country as compared to over 20 percent in the 1990s.

The Asia -Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission is being held from April 21-25. The event attracted the participation of over 400 representatives from 33 members of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, over 30 non-governmental organisations, research institutes and businesspeople.


Wood Trading under Forestry & Government Management Laws

This is a topic of an important discussion among well known international experts and policy makers at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week and the 22nd Asia-Pacific Forestry Conference (from 21st to 26th of April).

According to Dr David Cassells, the director of The Nature Conservancy in the Asia-Pacific Forestry Pro-gram and the chair of Asian Forestry and Trade Responsibility Committee, the objective of this discus-sion is to promote sustainable management for each nations in the area and for each areas; to increase the contribution of forest to the national economic development and to poverty reduction in rural area and upland area; In the meantime optimize the forest environment protection function.

Similar to forestry in Vietnam, the sector in other countries are also facing many challenges, which are: Demand for socio-economic development creates increasing pressure on forest; despite the fact that forest area has been increased, the forest quality and the biodiversity of the natural forest in many places continue to decrease; the source for forest land devoted to development of protection forest is day by day narrower, while the source for developing production forest is so limited.

In the discussion, experts and policy markers all agree with a conclusion, which is: trading and exploit-ing wood have to be monitored more and regulated more strictly; each nation needs to increase the management efficiency, and forest land associated with increasing sustainable forest management to meet new demands on the trend of globalization and climate change.

Right after the discussion, a media conference was held with Vietnamese and international journalists.

Prior to the event, on the 23rd of April, the topic on Forest and Climate Change was also discussed by stakeholders. The discussion focused on topics such as: Risks by climate change to Tropical forest in Asia; possible sufferings that local forest dependent people may meet; Government administration and livelihoods needed to reduce emission by reducing forest deforestation and degradation; what policy options to minimize vulnaribility… Dr Jan Heino, Deputy General Director Forestry Division FAO believe that there has been an approach in sustainable forest management and protection. Especially, the par-ticipatory management approach, increase benefits of the forest dependent local people. These lessons leant need to be shared with other nations in the area in the future.



Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surgeHANOI, April 27: Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in boom-ing China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn, reports AFP. The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, biofuel and rubber plantations, is worsening global warming, species loss and poverty, they said.



Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 percent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching — once a leading cause, mainly in South America—which now caused five percent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsus-tainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainforest destruction, he said.

Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005 — largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation—said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). “In contrast, forest loss persists at a very high rate in several countries,” said an FAO report. “Indonesia, Cambodia, Myan-mar, Australia and Papua New Guinea and a number of other countries have seen significant losses.”


“Many plantations, in terms of biodiversity, are green concrete,” said Peter Walpole, head of the non-profit Asia For-est Network. Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plantations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.

Commercial crops “will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific countries,” said the FAO report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities. Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.

Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from 53 billion dollars in 1990 to 561 billion dollars in 2004.


Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO for-estry economist C.T.S. Nair.

“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions are extremely weak,” he said.

The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are state- owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.

“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Walpole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement. “Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philippines, it’s tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control.

It’s still in many military families.” Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed

disturbing trends. Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally-logged timber from neighbouring Laos in a recent report by

Britain’s Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak - - a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied. “Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.

“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US—in big or small vol-umes, they are all accepting that.”

Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests—clean air and water, and biodiversity—are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.

“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.” Solutions are being debated—including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal trade, and car-

bon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.

Dhaka, Monday, April 28, 2008


HANOI--Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn. The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, biofuel and rubber plantations, is worsening global warming, species loss and poverty, they said.Globally, tropical forest destruction “is a super crisis we are facing, it’s an appalling crisis,” said Oxford University’s Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi.




Asia’s forest cover, including tree plantations, in fact grew by three million hectares from 2000 to 2005 -- largely because of China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation -- said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).






Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from $53 billion in 1990 to 561

billion dollars in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about $750 million in 1990 to $3.1 billion in 2005, the FAO

said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO forestry

economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions are extremely

weak,” he said.The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are state-

owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Walpole

said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.“BurmahasbeenloggedbyThaigenerals.AndifyoulookatthecorruptionofforestryinthePhilippines,it’stiedinmany

areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed

disturbing trends.Vietnamwasnamedasamajorhub for illegally-logged timber fromneighboringLaos ina recent reportbyBritain’s

Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.“Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from

Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US -- in big or small volumes, they

are all accepting that.”Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and biodiversity -- are not

factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.”Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal trade, and carbon

credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.But for now these are ideas, not realities, and the FAO report called support for forestry carbon offset schemes

“disappointing” so far.

EXPERTS SAY : Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge

BreakingNews/World


Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: expertsWeekend•April27,2008

Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.





The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustain-able as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainforest destruction, he said.




“Many plantations, in terms of biodiversity, are green concrete,” said Peter Walpole, head of the non-profit Asia For-est Network.

Yet what environmentalists call “tree farms” are set to grow at the expense of natural forests, especially palm plan-tations, which produce oil used in products such as soap, chocolate and cosmetics as well as biodiesel.


Demand for forest products is also surging in Asia’s boom economies.Imports to China, now the world’s top furniture exporter, increased more than tenfold from 53 billion dollars in 1990

to 561 billion dollars in 2004.India’s imports of wood products, including paper, grew from about 750 million dollars in 1990 to 3.1 billion dollars

in 2005, the FAO said.Asia’s boom economies are now importing timber from as far as Central Africa and South America, said FAO forestry

economist C.T.S. Nair.“In a way, they are exporting the problem to other countries, especially those where policies and institutions are

extremely weak,” he said.The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are

state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said.“The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families,” Wal-

pole said. “If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.“BurmahasbeenloggedbyThaigenerals.AndifyoulookatthecorruptionofforestryinthePhilippines,it’stiedin

many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It’s still in many military families.”Precise data is rare in the world timber trade, but spot checks by environmental monitoring groups have revealed

disturbing trends.Vietnamwasnamedasamajorhubforillegally-loggedtimberfromneighbouringLaosinarecentreportbyBritain’s

Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.“Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from

Indonesia,” said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.“Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US -- in big or small volumes,

they are all accepting that.”Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests -- clean air and water, and biodiversity -- are not

factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research.“These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure.”Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal trade, and carbon

credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.Butfornowtheseareideas,notrealities,andtheFAOreportcalledsupportforforestrycarbonoffsetschemes“dis-

appointing” so far. — AFP

This story was printed from TODAYonline


who live in or near them, experts said.

"The history of logging in Southeast Asia has been under the auspices of the military and of political families," Walpole said. "If you look at how Cambodia has been logged, this cannot happen without military acknowledgement.

"Burma has been logged by Thai generals. And if you look at the corruption of forestry in the Philippines, it's tied in many areas during the Marcos years to military presence and control. It's still in many military families."


Vietnam was named as a major hub for illegally-logged timber from neighbouring Laos in a recent report by Britain's Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesian group Telapak -- a claim Hanoi has strenuously denied.

"Indonesia has had an export ban on sawn timber since 2004, and yet countries are still accepting sawn timber from Indonesia," said Chen Hin Keong of TRAFFIC, which monitors the illegal trade in endangered flora and fauna.

"Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the US -- in big or small volumes, they are all accepting that."


"These services are underpriced or unpriced. It's a market failure."

Solutions are being debated -- including a universal timber certification system to rein in the illegal trade, and carbon credit schemes that would reward countries for preserving forests and offsetting pollution elsewhere.

But for now these are ideas, not realities, and the FAO report called support for forestry carbon offset schemes "disappointing" so far.

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List of press reporters attending conference

Press Conference on Forest and Climate Change, April 23 No. Name Agency1. Frank Zeller Agence France-Presse (AFP)2. Tien Hieu Vietnam News3. Minh Ngoc Thanh Nien News4. Manh Giang VNEconomy News5. Minh Nguyet Vietnamnet6. Nhat Tan Natural Resource and Environment News7. Binh Chau Vietnam Investment Review8. Ngoc Quyet Rural Economics Times9. Tuyet Yen Radio the Voice of Vietnam10. Nhu Trang VN Express News11. Tran Can Ba Ria Vung Tau News12. Anh Tu Tien Phong News13. Đinh Nam VNEconomy News14. Trieu Viet Giang Vietnam News Agency

Press Conference on Timber Trade and Implementation of Forestry Laws, April 24No. Name Agency1. Nguyen Xuan Tien VTC News2. Tran Manh Ha VTC News3. Do Long News4. Hoang Anh Vietnam Investment Review5. Trieu Hong Nga Hà Noi TV6. Nguyen Anh Hanoi TV7. Thanh Phong Hanoi TV8. Do Hung Hanoi TV9. Anh Tu Tien Phong News10. B Hoai Tram Sai Gon Giai Phong News11. Nguyen Nga Vietnamnet12. Le Trang E-Trade News13. Trieu Viet Giang Vietnam New Agency14. Ngoc Tam Vietnam Rural News15. Hoai Phuong Thiennhien.net16. Minh Ngoc Thanh Nien News17. Hong Hanh Vietnam News

Documents

CIFOR Summary ReportForward 1 Foreword The following report covers CIFOR’s events and activities at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW), which was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 21 –