British Green Group to Monitor Cambodian Forests
12/23/99
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY
During recent travels the following account of Global Witness, a
British NGO, being appointed to monitor Cambodian Forests slipped
through the cracks. I am sending it on a few weeks later
nonetheless, given the importance of the precedent being set.
Governments that have proven unable to monitor their forests, yet
claim that they wish to do so, now have another option. Third party
monitoring, particularly by civil society, may contribute
significantly to ending predatory logging being waged by outlaws.
This Cambodian government policy is all the more significant given
the fact that Global Witness has been highly critical of Cambodian
forest policy in the past. This is exactly what gives them
credibility and independence. Other tropical countries plagued by
forest sector mismanagement and corruption would do well to take
this, or similar steps, to open up their processes and get serious in
cracking down on illegal activities. In Cambodia at least there is
the "chance that illegal loggers might actually get arrested."
Rather than this being a shocking exception, it should be the rule of
law that is rigorously enforced worldwide. Once a rainforest is
gone, it is gone (for many human lifetimes anyway). Manage it
wisely, or lose it--to the detriment of local communities, nations,
regions and the global ecological system. Here are three articles
concerning this news and challenges facing Cambodia's forests.
g.b.
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
ITEM #1
Title: British green group to monitor Cambodian forests
Source: Reuters
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 3, 1999
PHNOM PENH - A British environmental group that for years has
campaigned against illegal logging in Cambodia has been appointed an
independent monitor of the country's forestry sector, a group
representative said yesterday.
"We've been a thorn in the side of the government for years so it's
extraordinary they're taking this step," Patrick Alley, of the group
Global Witness, told a news conference.
"This is a great day for us. This role gives us a direct formal feed
into the enforcement process and full access to timber related
government and concession records. This means there's a chance
illegal loggers might actually be arrested."
Global Witness has been highlighting mismanagement and corruption in
the Cambodian foresty sector since the early 1990s. The group has
exposed numerous cases of illegal felling and illicit timber exports.
Global Witness will now report directly to the cabinet of Prime
Minister Hun Sen as well as to Cambodia's aid donors.
The World Bank, in a report last year, said illegal felling was being
carried out at three to eight times sustainable levels and at that
rate, Cambodia's forests would be commercially logged out within a
few years.
Early this year the government began a fresh crackdown on illegal
logging, much of which is done by rogue army units.
The crackdown has halted much felling, but environmental groups say
the real test is coming now with the new dry season, when log cutting
and transporting traditionally picks up.
ITEM #2
Title: Global Witness Appointed Independent Monitor of Forestry
Sector
Source: Global Witness Press Release
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 2, 1999
British environmental and human rights group Global Witness have been
appointed as the official independent monitor of Cambodia's forestry
sector. The appointment of a watchdog NGO to this kind of role is
probably unique in world terms.
The need for independent monitoring was identified at the 1999
Consultative Group (CG), made up of Cambodia's donors, meeting in
Tokyo, to ensure the Royal Government of Cambodia's (RGC) compliance
with promised forestry reforms. The IMF's reengagement, and the World
Bank's new Structural Adjustment Credit were conditional on the
signing of the deal.
"This is a great day for us," said Patrick Alley of Global Witness.
"This role gives us a direct formal feed into the enforcement
process, and full access to timber related RGC and concession
records. If we report forest crime, the RGC has to act. This means
there is a chance that illegal loggers might actually get arrested.
The RGC's actions will be reported to Hun Sen, through the Council of
Ministers, and to the quarterly meetings of the international
donors."
The $140,000 deal, funded in the first year by a $600,000 grant from
Britain's DFID, and a $150,000 grant from AusAid, channelled through
the FAO, will allow Global Witness to open an office in Phnom Penh
and take on local staff. "We will simply do more of what we already
do," said Alley. "The $140,000 funds the Cambodian office: we will
continue to fund ourselves, and therefore, around 66% of total
project costs."
The independent monitoring role is part of the recently established
Forest Crime Monitoring Unit, also made up of inspection teams from
the Forestry Department and the Ministry of Environment, both of whom
will receive the bulk of the funds.
"Forestry reform has a long way to go, but the fact that the RGC have
accepted us, a thorn in their side for years, as the monitor, is an
indication of the new mood in government. Impunity has always been
the problem in the forestry sector, so this deal will test the RGC's
resolve, because they have to investigate and take action on reported
crimes," said Alley. "And a lot of the perpetrators have friends in
high places."
For further information contact Global Witness: PO Box 6042, London
N19 5WP; Tel: +44 171 272 6731; Fax: + 44 171 272 9425; email:
mail@globalwitness.demon.co.uk; Internet:
http://www.oneworld.org/globalwitness/
ITEM #3
Title: ADB Concession review Puts Cambodian Forestry Reform at Risk
Source: Global Witness Press Release
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 2, 1999
The Asia Development Bank (ADB) funded concession review, one of the
most crucial elements of forestry reform in Cambodia, has been
crippled by time and financial constraints resulting from
shortcomings in the ADB management process. The review, a major
recommendation of the World Bank funded TA Projects in May 1998, was
intended to identify those concessions which should be terminated for
repeated infractions, and those which should remain, with re-
negotiated contracts.
The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) expected the concession review
to be scheduled for January 1999, but the concession site inspections
did not commence until October 1999.
This resulted in:
* Site inspections being carried out in the wet season. Consequently,
the review team have not witnessed any harvesting operations or log
movements. Access to the concessions was affected by bad road
conditions, limiting the time available to carry out the inspections.
* Only 12 out of 21 concessions are scheduled to be visited, just 57%
of the total.
* The site inspectors spend one day in each concession. Concession
sizes range from 60,000-766,000ha.
* Only year 1999 and 2000 coupes (2 out of 25+ cutting areas per
concession) are inspected. Thus, the majority of concession area is
not inspected.
* Concessionaires' forest management practices are judged purely on
the basis of the one-day inspections. Therefore, 'one the ground'
compliance with contracts, a crucial part of the review, are also
judged on the basis of a snapshot one-day visit.
* It is likely the review's recommendations will err on the side of
caution. This, coupled with the fact that none of the
concessionaires' historical records, including illegal activity and
poor forest management, are being taken into account by the review,
means that concessionaires who have severely depleted their own and
other concessions are likely to enjoy impunity for their actions.
The review team have found that all of Cambodia's concession land
will be exhausted within seven years (some are currently logged out)
and that current cutting levels cannot/should not be sustained. Also,
every concessionaire has breached their contract for failing to
achieve the required investment targets. "These findings are shocking
enough," said Patrick Alley of Global Witness. "The whole future of
concessions in Cambodia needs to be reviewed-the forests cannot
sustain 21 concessions-period."
Global Witness discussed these issues with the ADB on 1st December
1999. The ADB stated that the site inspections of concessions had
been extended by four weeks and that they would advise the review
team to utilise all available information. They also confirmed that
they will not recommend termination of any concessions. If the former
two actions are carried out, it will be an improvement. The latter
point confirms that the reviews findings will be bland. In any event,
unless urgent changes are made, the review will still be far short of
the 'intensive' inspections described in Fraser Thomas' inception
report.
For further information contact Global Witness: PO Box 6042, London
N19 5WP; Tel: +44 171 272 6731; Fax: + 44 171 272 9425; email:
mail@globalwitness.demon.co.uk; Internet:
http://www.oneworld.org/globalwitness/