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Indonesian logger: cleared peat forest doesn’t have high conservation value

APRIL to continue clearing carbon-dense forests it says lack high conservation value.




An excavator piles natural forest logs at a log pond inside a PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (PT RAPP) pulpwood concession on Pulau Pedang, Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province located at 1°0’51″N 102°19’50″E. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace


An Indonesian logging company says that clearing of peat forest on an island off Sumatra is “in line with its Sustainable Forest Management Policy” because the area wasn’t found to be of high conservation value.



In a letter responding to concerns raised by environmental groups, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) said its forest policy applies to all its concessions, including the Pulau Padang concession where Greenpeace documented deep peat clearance last month. APRIL said an assessment concluded the area lacks high conservation value.



“The Pulau Padang high conservation value forest [HCVF] assessment has been completed,” APRIL told Mongabay.com.”APRIL is operating at Pulau Padang in line with its Sustainable Forest Management Policy, which means operations commenced only after the HCVF assessment was completed. We are operating only on non-HCVF areas.”



“Photos circulated by Greenpeace are all taken of operational areas. These are non-HCVF areas. There is no activity in HCVF areas. HCVF areas are all being conserved. We have voluntarily set aside an additional 1,500 hectares of operating area (non-HCVF area) for further assessment by technical experts from the HCV Resource Network.”



Recent large-scale clearance of peatland forest inside a PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (PT RAPP) pulpwood concession on Pulau Pedanga.
Recent large-scale clearance of peatland forest inside a PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (PT RAPP) pulpwood concession on Pulau Pedang. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace.



While the Greenpeace pictures clearly showed heavy equipment digging canals and knocking over trees in an area of carbon-dense peatland, APRIL says it is currently not bound by a limitation on converting high carbon stock areas.



“We are participating in the development of an industry-accepted methodology of HCS, by initiating a pilot study within our concession area,” states the APRIL letter. “We are now in discussions with experts to develop a multi-stakeholder working group that will help identify industry standards for HCS. Our policy states that APRIL will adopt for new concession areas the best practices in the industry pertaining to HCS if and when relevant standards are
established.”



APRIL added that it will continue to clear high carbon stock forests that aren’t found to high conservation value until standards are developed.




Active clearance of peatland forest. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace.



The logging giant also said that its policy includes a “1-for-1 commitment”



“We will support conservation of one hectare of land for every hectare under plantation management,” it said.



Environmentalists have heavily criticized APRIL for its forest management practices, which have converted vast areas of rainforests and peatlands into industrial plantations. APRIL has been increasingly isolated since its biggest competitor, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), established a forest conservation policy in February 2013. In late January, APRIL announced a policy of its own that has been widely panned by green groups for falling short of APP’s policy.




APRIL Letter to NGOs – 12 June 2014



To: Andiko (Huma); Patrick Anderson (Forest Peoples Program); Lafcadio Cortesi (Rainforest Action Network); Aidil Fitri (Wahana Bumi Hijau); Hary Oktavian (Scale Up); Rudiansyah Jaringan Masyarakat Gambut Jambi); Isnadi Esman (Jaringan Masyarakat Gambut Riau); Emil Kleden (Pusaka).



Dear Stakeholders



Thank you for your letter of June 6, 2014. We welcome the views of civil society as
inputs from key stakeholders to ensure the compliance of APRIL’s Sustainable Forest
Management Policy (SFMP) commitments at our own and supply partners’ concessions.
We have initiated a formal dialogue last month that included signatories to your June 6
letter. During that session we explained the policy and discussed how we are
implementing it. We have also arranged a second dialogue in June in Pekanbaru.



We are pleased to say we have already met in person with a number of your
signatories. These included HuMa, The Forest Peoples Programme, Rainforest Action
Network and Scale Up. As a follow-up, we have been providing the organizations regular
updates on implementation of the APRIL policy. Additional updates are available on our
blog at www.APRILDialog.com. We hope that this demonstrates our desire to engage
stakeholders and keep them informed.



In the meantime, I would like to address concerns expressed in your letter to APRIL:



Scope of APRIL’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy: Our policy covers all APRIL
concessions. It extends to all APRIL suppliers. APRIL is engaging with sister pulp and paper companies within Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Group to adopt the principles
underlying the policy.



Moratorium: The policy mandates a moratorium in areas throughout APRIL’s fibre supply
chain where HCVF assessments have not been completed. This includes a moratorium
on forested peatland areas, including canals and other infrastructure activities, until
independent HCVF assessments have been completed.



HCS: We are participating in the development of an industry-accepted methodology of
HCS, by initiating a pilot study within our concession area. We are now in discussions
with experts to develop a multi-stakeholder working group that will help identify industry
standards for HCS. Our policy states that APRIL will adopt for new concession areas
the best practices in the industry pertaining to HCS if and when relevant standards are
established.



Mixed Hardwood: Most of the wood entering our mill comes from sustainable
plantations. The remainder is sourced from non-HCVF areas.



Suppliers: APRIL suppliers must comply with the Sustainable Forest Management
Policy. We have notified suppliers that we will not do business with any that violate the
policy.



HCV assessments: APRIL develops lands only after HCVF assessments are
completed. Through this letter, we also would like to let you know that APRIL has set
aside nearly 5,000 hectares of non-HCVF areas earmarked for plantation development
to be further assessed by independent technical experts registered with HCV Resource
Network to be allocated for additional HCV areas (HCV-plus approach). Since the SFMP
was announced, the moratorium applies to the proposed additional HCV areas.



Conservation: APRIL’s policy makes a 1-for-1 commitment: we will support conservation
of one hectare of land for every hectare under plantation management. This is a new
objective and we are still formulating plans. We are approximately 70% of the way to
our target. APRIL and its Long-Term Supply Partners protect and manage more than
250,000 hectares of conservation. We are restoring an additional 20,000 hectares of
degraded peatland under an Ecosystem Restoration License in Riau Province. We will
also restore an additional 20,000 hectares of degraded peatland at the core zone of
Pulau Padang. Please visit the website of our restoration program, Restorasi Ekosistem
Riau at http://www.rekoforest.org/index.php/en/ to learn about our methods and
processes.



Pulau Padang conflicts: APRIL has taken extraordinary steps to address community
concerns on Pulau Padang. We conducted more than 60 meetings with village
representatives. We enforced a year-long moratorium while independent investigators
and mediators reviewed the issues. Based on a participatory mapping process, the size
of our concession was reduced 17%.



Stakeholder Advisory Committee: As part of APRIL’s broader engagement strategy and
to ensure the transparency of the implementation of the SFMP, an independent external
Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) is established. SAC comprises independent
forestry and social experts to oversee implementation of APRIL’s Sustainable Forest
Management Policy and to provide a mechanism for stakeholders to engage during the
implementation of APRIL’s SFMP, and contribute to continuous improvement efforts and
verify conformance with the requirements set forth in the policy. The Terms of Reference
that explain the roles and responsibilities of both APRIL and the Committee are
published on our blog here. The
Committee publicly shares findings and recommendations that arise from its
deliberations.



Grievance procedure: We are near completion of a grievance procedure. We will be
pleased to share that with you. We will make the procedure available to all
stakeholders.



Independent monitoring and verification: The Stakeholder Advisory Committee will select
an independent auditor. This auditor will verify APRIL policy implementation and publish
findings publicly in October 2014.



Our Sustainable Forest Management Policy is four months old. We understand your
concerns for improved transparency as we implement. As an independent Committee,
the SAC will publicly communicate the progress of SFMP implementation in a
transparent and timely manner. We will also maintain regular contact with your
organizations to address your concerns and benefit from your inputs.





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