By Agus Purnomo
WWF-Indonesia
"Combating Illegal Logging in Indonesia"
Executive Summary
Description and magnitude of illegal logging problems
Indonesia is in the midst of an illegal logging
crisis, with an annual log harvest of around 70 million cubic
meter, about three times the government's sustainable yield. Jambi,
Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan are
among Indonesian more than 30 provinces that have lost half of
the forests in the 1990s. Reports indicate that illegal logging
in Indonesia has far exceeded the legal production. Estimates
of quantity of illegal logs vary considerably from 25 to 57 million
cubic meter annually, or about 52 percent to 70 percent of Indonesia
total log production.
If all timber taxes had been collected, the government
could have received an extra US$ 1.2 billion over the period 1980
to 1985, based on 1980 tax rates. The amount seems to have grown
to a level between US$ 2.0 - 3.5 billion per annum over the last
ten years, without considering the losses in terms of ecological
costs.
Illegal logging involves harvesting of logs in contravention of
the laws and regulations specifying: where, how and how much to
cut; scaling, log classification, transportation and utilization;
payments of charges (of royalties, levies, taxes, fees etc); and
measures to ensure sustainable forest management and sustainable
forest utilization.
There are two broad types of illegal logging in
all categories of forests. The first and most devastating type
result in conversion of the forest mainly into oil palm plantations,
causing total annihilation of biodiversity. Although illegal,
being abuses of land conversion licenses, there is often an implied
and misplaced acceptance of legality to such conversions. Consequently,
these activities are conducted openly. The second type of illegal
logging is direct timber theft for commercial purposes, which
is often conducted under secretive operations, frequently with
the backing of rogue elements of the enforcement apparatus (army,
navy, police and forestry officials). This category also includes
uncontrolled over-logging inside logging concessions, re-logging
in expired concessions, and logging outside concession areas.
Some of these thefts are supported by falsified official documents
or fake documents, and others by improper manipulation of government
policies (FLB,1999; MOF/JICA/EU, 2000).
Indonesia is suffering a massive timber theft at
present, orchestrated by financially powerful regional timber
barons connected to international smuggling syndicates. Much of
the valuable timber stripped from Indonesia's shrinking forests
is smuggled into neighboring countries, especially Malaysia and
Singapore, and then onto international markets. Lack of cooperation
between enforcement authorities in the region allows the criminal
networks to operate without any risk of punishment. As illegal
logging boomed in Indonesia during the late 1990s, timber exports
from Malaysia rose sharply - log exports from Sabah doubled between
1998 and 1999, as did exports of ramin from peninsular Malaysia.
Direct causes of illegal logging include excess
and unmet demand of logs, high level of profit in illegal logging
business, the existence of international market for illegal logs
and weak law enforcement in Indonesia. Indirect causes of illegal
logging include low risk of illegal operation, such as lack of
adequate policing and supervision of logging activities, rural
poverty and unemployment, land tenure conflicts and lack of local
civil society control toward forest industries and logging operations.
The main actors of illegal logging are illegal log
buyers, including illegal sawmills and legally established wood
processing industries, financial investors from domestic and international
markets, and the last but not the least corrupt law enforcement
officers. The accomplices are minor players and include: poor
and unemployed people looking for some income, disadvantaged and
disenfranchised tribal community, jobless and disillusioned youth,
local community leaders, transport agents, and distributors of
illegal logs.
In the year 2000 the Ministry of Forestry and Estate
Crops, then Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and then changed
to Ministry of Forestry again, has formed a special task force
in combating illegal logging, headed by The Secretary General.
The Government of Indonesia in responding to the interim CGI Meeting
at Jakarta 23-24 April 2001 declared that particular issues like
forest fires and illegal logging are already part of the integrated
action plans as stated in the CGI X. However, judged by various
criteria, it was admitted that until recently progress has fallen
far short of the objectives.
Although the Ministry of Forestry (MoF) has submitted
several cases against illegal loggers to the police for further
judicial process, it was recognized that the prosecution of illegal
loggers is beyond their responsibility. In this regards, the President
Republic of Indonesia has ordered relevant Ministers in his Cabinet
to re-open and take any necessary actions to stop illegal logging,
particularly in the Leuser and Tanjung Putting National Parks.
In the year 2001, MoF proposed to list Ramin (Gonystvlus
spp.) in CITES Appendix 3. To ensure further conservation efforts
of the species, MoF issued a Ministerial Decree No. 127 concerning
Moratorium on Ramin Trade. Export quota will be reserved for Ramin
from legal harvesting operations that have been independently
verified as sustainable management. In October 2001, the Minister
of Forestry and Minister of Trade and Industry jointly issued
a temporary ban on log export.