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In Indonesia, Greenpeace activists unfurl banners reading, "Stop ancient forest destruction" in front of the MV Ardhianto. The ship is carrying 6000 cubic metres of plywood to Japan and Korea.
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Greenpeace has discovered that KLI’s Henrison Iriana mill in Sorong
received timber from dubious and potentially illegal sources in recent
years. These sources supplied 70 per cent of the mill’s timber in 2004.
We are asking the company for proof that all timber entering its mills
is from legal, well-managed sources and to provide documents that show
exactly where each tree was cut to make sure they are not from pristine
forest areas.
In February, our investigators documented serious violations of forestry regulations by a logging subsidiary of Kayu Lapis Indonesia, operating an industrial logging concession near the Henrison Iriana mill in Papua. This is KLI’s largest concession in Indonesia and is a major supplier to the mill.
Indonesia’s forests are being destroyed faster than any other on Earth. A forest area the size of six football fields disappears every minute. In total, Indonesia has already lost more than 72 per cent of its large intact ancient forest areas and 40 per cent of its forests have been completely destroyed.
New maps released by Greenpeace and Forest Watch Indonesia show that more than 25% of the forests in Papua have already been given away as concessions to logging companies which export timber products to Japan, US, EU and China.
By the end of 2005, the Indonesian government had granted logging concessions on 11.6 million hectares of forests in Papua to 65 logging companies. Closer scrutiny of the concessions revealed that these companies are owned by a few national and multinational logging companies such as:
* Kayu Lapis Indonesia, Korindo Group (Korea, Indonesia)
* Barito Pacific (UK, Indonesia)
* Djajanti Group (Indonesia)
* PT Hanurata (Indonesia)
* PT Wapoga Mutiara Timber (subsidiary of Rimbunan Hijau, Malaysia)
Greenpeace recently released groundbreaking satellite maps which reveal that the world’s forests are in critical condition. The maps provide evidence that less than 10% of the Earth’s land area remains as large intact forest areas.
Papua is home to Asia Pacific’s largest undamaged forests but they are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate by logging companies, like KLI, who practice bad forest management. At least 76 per cent of logging in Indonesia, including in Papua province, is illegal. The stolen timber is sold on to milling operations, like KLI, in Indonesia or ‘disappears’ offshore to feed the global market.
This timber is likely to appear on the shelves of timber retailers in Japan, Europe, or the US as cheap Meranti or Lauan plywood.
Japan is the largest importer of Indonesian plywood, importing 62 per cent of all Indonesian plywood exports in 2005. The US is the second largest importer, importing 14 per cent of all exports in 2005. The EU and China imported 13 per cent and 9 per cent respectively in 2005.
Irresponsible logging not only impacts on the forests, but also millions of people who live in them and depend on them for survival. Anger and resentment is building up in local communities around Sorong who feel they have been inadequately compensated for logging operations on their land. Most of the money made from logging leaves the area and, once the trees are gone, all that is left is seriously degraded land and waterways.
The Rainbow Warrior is in the area on ‘Forest Crime Patrol’ as part of a campaign to highlight the crisis occurring in this and other ancient forests.
Greenpeace is in Indonesia at the invitation of the Ministry of Forestry. We are bearing witness to, and documenting, illegal and destructive logging in the region and offering communities ecologically responsible alternatives to industrial logging.
VISIT: the Paradise Forests weblog
In February, our investigators documented serious violations of forestry regulations by a logging subsidiary of Kayu Lapis Indonesia, operating an industrial logging concession near the Henrison Iriana mill in Papua. This is KLI’s largest concession in Indonesia and is a major supplier to the mill.
Indonesia’s forests are being destroyed faster than any other on Earth. A forest area the size of six football fields disappears every minute. In total, Indonesia has already lost more than 72 per cent of its large intact ancient forest areas and 40 per cent of its forests have been completely destroyed.
New maps released by Greenpeace and Forest Watch Indonesia show that more than 25% of the forests in Papua have already been given away as concessions to logging companies which export timber products to Japan, US, EU and China.
By the end of 2005, the Indonesian government had granted logging concessions on 11.6 million hectares of forests in Papua to 65 logging companies. Closer scrutiny of the concessions revealed that these companies are owned by a few national and multinational logging companies such as:
* Kayu Lapis Indonesia, Korindo Group (Korea, Indonesia)
* Barito Pacific (UK, Indonesia)
* Djajanti Group (Indonesia)
* PT Hanurata (Indonesia)
* PT Wapoga Mutiara Timber (subsidiary of Rimbunan Hijau, Malaysia)
Greenpeace recently released groundbreaking satellite maps which reveal that the world’s forests are in critical condition. The maps provide evidence that less than 10% of the Earth’s land area remains as large intact forest areas.
Papua is home to Asia Pacific’s largest undamaged forests but they are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate by logging companies, like KLI, who practice bad forest management. At least 76 per cent of logging in Indonesia, including in Papua province, is illegal. The stolen timber is sold on to milling operations, like KLI, in Indonesia or ‘disappears’ offshore to feed the global market.
This timber is likely to appear on the shelves of timber retailers in Japan, Europe, or the US as cheap Meranti or Lauan plywood.
Japan is the largest importer of Indonesian plywood, importing 62 per cent of all Indonesian plywood exports in 2005. The US is the second largest importer, importing 14 per cent of all exports in 2005. The EU and China imported 13 per cent and 9 per cent respectively in 2005.
Irresponsible logging not only impacts on the forests, but also millions of people who live in them and depend on them for survival. Anger and resentment is building up in local communities around Sorong who feel they have been inadequately compensated for logging operations on their land. Most of the money made from logging leaves the area and, once the trees are gone, all that is left is seriously degraded land and waterways.
The Rainbow Warrior is in the area on ‘Forest Crime Patrol’ as part of a campaign to highlight the crisis occurring in this and other ancient forests.
Greenpeace is in Indonesia at the invitation of the Ministry of Forestry. We are bearing witness to, and documenting, illegal and destructive logging in the region and offering communities ecologically responsible alternatives to industrial logging.
VISIT: the Paradise Forests weblog
