Indonesia urges rich countries to ban illegally logged wood products
Indonesia urges rich countries to ban illegally logged wood products
Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
April 25, 2007
Indonesia has urged rich countries not to buy products made from illegally logged timber, echoing a similar call from Malaysia last month, according to the International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) April 1 Tropical Timber Market Report.
The Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, said that furniture made from illegal cut wood from New Guinea is widely available in American and European discount stores, apparently referencing undercover investigations by Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an environmental group, which have linked illicit cutting in the Indonesian province of Papua to furniture exports from China.
Witoelar said that consuming governments should use existing systems to ensure that wood is coming from legitimate sources.
Indonesia is plagued by widespread illegal logging, though in recent months, the government has aggressively cracked down on unlicensed operations. Still it is estimated that more than half of Indonesia’s logging is illicit.
Last month the government announced plans to significantly increase logging of natural forests in 2007.
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