Posted on 15 December
2010
One of the world’s largest paper suppliers
is still clearcutting the rainforest of
Indonesia’s Sumatra island, a habitat critical
to the survival of the tiger, an investigation
by local NGOs found.
The enquiry found that
in the dense natural forests of the Bukit
Tigapuluh landscape companies affiliated
the Asia Pulp & Paper/Sinar Mas Group
(APP/SMG) have sought out selective logging
concessions.
The companies obtained
government licenses to switch the forest
status to industrial timber plantation concessions,
sometimes under legally questionable circumstances.
This allows for clearcutting and planting
of commercial plantations, destroying the
home of local tigers and other endangered
species. It is also in breach of the company’s
claims that it doesn’t clear high-quality
forest.
“Our investigation found
that in the last six years, the company
in this landscape alone contributed to the
loss of about 60,000 hectares of forest
without appropriate professional assessments
or stakeholder consultation,” said Susanto
Kurniawan of the environmental conservation
group Eyes on the Forest.
“Bukit Tigapuluh is
one of very few remaining rainforests in
central Sumatra; therefore we urge the Government
not to give it away to APP/SMG, who will
mercilessly eliminate it and devastate local
communities and biodiversity.”
Bukit Tigapuluh has
about 320,000 hectares of natural forest,
and harbors about 30 of the 300 Sumatran
tigers which still survive on the island.
It has been deemed one of 20 landscapes
critical to the long-term survival of tigers
by international scientists. In November,
Indonesia pledged at the Global Tiger Forum
in St. Petersburg, Russia to make it a focal
area for tiger conservation.
Approximately 150 elephants
and 130 highly endangered Sumatran orangutans
also live in the area, also home to two
indigenous forest-dwelling tribes. The Orang
Rimba and Talang Mamak – who according to
Diki Kurniawan from WARSI, a community conservation
organization are “being driven off their
ancestral land by APP and other companies.
“Many must now beg for rice handouts to
survive,” Kurniawan said.
After a $1 billion pledge
from Norway, Indonesia announced this year
a moratorium starting in 2011 on all new
forest and peatland concessions. The moratorium
includes Sumatra.
“The Bukit Tigapuluh
landscape is a major test of Indonesia’s
$1 billion climate agreement with the Kingdom
of Norway,” said Aditya Bayunanda of WWF-Indonesia
“We stand ready to help the Government find
ways to protect the forest and Indonesia’s
natural heritage.”
+ More
Pangasius on course
for sustainability certification after WWF
and Vietnam reach agreement
Posted on 15 December
2010
Gland, Switzerland – WWF, the Vietnamese
government and key Vietnamese industry fisheries
and acquaculture bodies today reached agreement
on working together to achieve certified
sustainable production of pangasius in Vietnam.
Vietnam is the source
of 99.9 percent of Pangasius(also known
as tra and basa catfish) exports, which
have expanded 50-fold over the last decade.
The agreement was announced
following a meeting between WWF Global Seafood
Leader, Dr. Mark Powell, and the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Directorate
of Fisheries, the Vietnam Association of
Seafood Exporters, as well as the Vietnam
Fisheries Association.
As part of this agreement,
and in recognition of the Vietnamese government’s
commitment to seeking sustainability certification
of Vietnam’s pangasius production, WWF will
place pangasius in a new “Moving Towards
Certification” category in its popular seafood
guide.
“WWF’s “Moving Towards
Certification” category will mean that WWF
will encourage seafood buyers to continue
buying pangasius to support the transition,”
said Dr Powell.
“The new category is
intended to indicate an improving trend
in the pangasius aquaculture sector. Additionally,
WWF will commit to seek funding for certification
processes.”
WWF produces seafood
guides to advise seafood buyers on the sustainability
of important seafood items. WWF’s goal is
to encourage certified sustainable production
of seafood to reduce harmful environmental
impacts.
The agreement charts
a way forward, after recent assessments
saw “typical” pangasius from Vietnam downgraded
in some seafood guides. The downgrading,
a result of some progress towards sustainability
falling behind explosive growth in the industry,
underlined the need for a special and coordinated
effort with seeking full sustainability
certification being an ambitious target
that has the potential for being a major
sustainability boost for the global aquaculture
industry.
“WWF stands behind our
existing seafood assessments, and we are
creating this additional category to support
ongoing efforts to improve seafood sustainability,”
Dr Powell said..
“WWF is pleased to have
a strong shared commitment with the government
of Vietnam and the pangasius industry to
achieve certified sustainable production.”
Rigorous standards for
Pangasius aquaculture were announced earlier
this year, after a several year process
involving all interested parites under the
umbrella of the Aquaculture Dialogues, another
WWF initiative to increase the environmental,
economic and social sustainability of sea
and freshwater foods.
