Paper giant breaks pledge to end rainforest logging in Sumatra, says group

Peat drainage canal and stacks of MTH harvested from forest clearance by APRIL wood supplier PT. RAPP in Kampar peninsula. Some CITES-protected ramin trees were “saved” and left standing. Photo taken by Eyes on the Forest at N°17’52.36” E102°43’22.29” on 10 February 2012.

Pulp and paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) continues to destroy large areas of rainforests and peatlands despite a commitment to end natural forest logging by 2009, says a new report issued by a coalition of Indonesian environmental groups.

The Eyes on the Forest report [PDF] finds that APRIL and its suppliers cleared at least 140,000 hectares (346,000 acres) of natural forest between 2008 and 2011 in Riau, accounting for 27 percent of all forest loss in the province during the period. Some of the area cleared by APRIL and its subsidiaries consisted of deep peat swamp forest, which stores massive amount of carbon. The report, which is titled “APRIL: Riau, Sumatra’s biggest forest pulper 2009 to 2012”, says that 69 percent of APRIL’s concessions lie on peat soils, suggesting that emissions from the company’s operations could worsen as it clears remaining forest areas.

Natural forest clearance by APRIL wood supplier PT. Triomas FDI in Kampar Peninsula. Photo taken by Eyes on the Forest on 30 May 2012. MTH or mixed tropical hardwood is sourced from natural forests in Indonesia. In 2009 and 2010 MTH “represented 84% and 50% of the raw material needs of APRIL’s Riau mill”, according to the report.

“APRIL’s public commitment to sustainable and natural fiber free operations after 2009 was pure sales talk; greenwashing to win back customers who had left the company due to its dismal sustainability record,” said the report. “Any statements on environmental sustainability made by APRIL today must be viewed with the highest possible skepticism and should not be taken at face value.”

The report goes on to state that APRIL “APRIL knowingly pulped natural forest wood from concessions whose licenses were issued through corrupt practices.”

“Ten of twelve APRIL wood suppliers operating in the company’s main wood supply area, Riau Province’s deep peat Kampar Peninsula, obtained their licenses from the heads of Siak and Pelalawan district. Both were convicted in high profile cases for corrupt practices in issuing these licenses and are currently in prison,” it says. “APRIL suppliers also received annual cutting licenses from three Riau Forestry Agency chiefs who since then have been sentenced to prison terms for graft by the corruption court.”

Article published by Rhett Butler Carbon Emissions, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Corruption, Deforestation, Environment, Forestry, Green, Logging, Peatlands, Plantations, Pulp And Paper, Rainforests, Rhett Butler Asia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Sumatra Print Special series Forest Trackers Bolivia’s El Curichi Las Garzas protected area taken over by land-grabbers Authorities struggle to protect Bolivian national park from drug-fueled deforestation Poverty and plantations: Nigerian reserve struggles against the odds Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New Guinea More articles Oceans Warming seas push India’s fishers into distant, and more dangerous, waters No protection from bottom trawling for seamount chain in northern Pacific Annual ocean conference raises $11.3b in pledges for marine conservation Caribbean startups are turning excess seaweed into an agroecology solution More articles Amazon Conservation Amid record-high fires across the Amazon, Brazil loses primary forests A web of front people conceals environmental offenders in the Amazon Brazil boosts protection of Amazon mangroves with new reserves in Pará state Cross-border Indigenous efforts in Peru & Brazil aim to protect isolated groups More articles Land rights and extractives Hyundai ends aluminum deal with Adaro Minerals following K-pop protest Brazil’s illegal gold trade takes a hammering, but persists underground Maluku bone collector unearths troubling consequence of coastal abrasion New FPIC guide designed to help protect Indigenous rights as mineral mining booms More articles Endangered Environmentalists Indonesian activists face jail over FB posts flagging damage to marine park Vietnamese environmentalist sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights Video: Five Tembé Indigenous activists shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’ More articles Indonesia's Forest Guardians Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo After 20 years and thousands of trees planted, Kalimantan’s veteran forester persists More articles Conservation Effectiveness The conservation sector must communicate better (commentary) Thailand tries nature-based water management to adapt to climate change Forest restoration to boost biomass doesn’t have to sacrifice tree diversity How scientists and a community are bringing a Bornean river corridor back to life More articles Southeast Asian infrastructure Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules To build its ‘green’ capital city, Indonesia runs a road through a biodiverse forest More articles you're currently offline