Plywood from the Paradise Forests is unloaded in Yokohama
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Papua New Guinea —
First we intercepted the MV Ardhianto when it was loading a thousand cubic metres of destructively logged plywood in Sorong harbour, Papua.
Today, as the ship prepared to unload a slice of the Paradise Forests in Yokohama harbour, Japan, our activists were there to again demand a ban on the trade in illegal timber.
The activists unfurled a banner, which read “Is This Timber Legal?” Of
course, it’s a rhetorical question. Ironically, Japan is one of the
countries that has vowed to tackle illegal logging, via platforms such
as the G8 summit.
Papua is home to one of the largest pristine forest areas left in the
Asia Pacific region. Timber companies are destructively logging this
amazing ecosystem so fast that it will disappear in 20 years – or less.
The company involved in this protest, Kayu Lapis Indonesia’s (KLI), is
being investigated by the Indonesian government for sourcing illegally
logged timber and for breaking forestry regulations.
KLI's Henrison Iriana mill in Sorong, where this timber shipment came
from, is known to source timber from dubious and potentially illegal
sources. Not just some of its timber is suspect, either. Greenpeace has
discovered that these questionable sources supplied 53% of the mill's
timber in 2002, 74% in 2003 and 70% in 2004
Forest campaigner, Yuka Ozaki, says allowing timber from a company
currently under investigation to unload products in Japan is totally
unacceptable. “By allowing such shipments into the country, Japan is
buying ancient forest destruction.”
Japan is the world’s largest importer of Indonesian plywood. Much of
this plywood is used in construction and is thrown away once it is used.
Major buyers of KLI in Japan are Sojitz group, Toyo Materia co. and
Sumisyo & Mitsuibussan Kenzai Co. Greenpeace is calling on these
companies to only purchase timber and timber products certified by the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner, Hapsoro, followed the MV
Ardhianto from Sarong to Yokohama. He says companies like KLI are
“unscrupulously selling out Indonesia’s natural heritage”.
“Great forests and their biodiversity are being destroyed as are the
local communities they support, in order to satisfy the global appetite
for cheap throwaway wood.”
VISIT: the weblog by activists in the Paradise Forests