*******************************
WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Eco-Timber
from the Solomon Islands Available on European Market
*******************************
Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
October
7, 1995
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE
It
appears that fledgling eco-timber and community forestry
efforts
in Europe and the South Pacific have received a boost with
the
launch of Swift Timber. The company is
marketing timber
harvested
from an area in the Solomon Islands that would have been
devastated
by a once over industrial harvest if a low impact,
community
based alternative was not presented. The aims of the
eco-
timber project are to reduce logging operations in the
Solomon
(Western) Islands by enabling the traditional landowner
groups
to say 'no' to offers from logging companies, too assist
village
groups in earning a good cash income based on sustainable
forest
resource management, all while meeting the need for
tropical
timbers for those willing to pay an eco-premium for
sustainably
harvested wood. This item was posted in
econet's
reg.pacific
confernce by ECSIEP.
g.b.
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/**
reg.pacific: 98.0 **/
**
Topic: Swift (Fair Trade) **
** Written 1:36 PM
Sep 26, 1995 by gn:ecsiep in cdp:reg.pacific
******************************************************************
Reprinted
from the EUROPE PACIFIC SOLIDARITY (EPS) BULLETIN
3-4,
July/August 1995, issued by European Centre for Studies,
Information
and Education on Pacific Issues (ECSIEP)
Written
by Peter van der Vlies
******************************************************************
SWIFT
Timber now available on the European Market
SWIFT,
Solomon Western Islands Fair Trade, an important initiative
to
counter destruction of Rain Forests in Solomon Islands.
With
his signature Bishop Philemon Riti of the United Church in
the
Solomon Islands established the company 'SWIFT Hout' in the
Netherlands
on June 7th 1995. SWIFT Hout bv. will sell the timber
from
SWIFT Solomons on the European Market. This company is a 100%
subsidiary
of SWIFT Solomons. Fair Trade is guaranteed.
The
Solomon Islands experience an invasion of mainly (South) East
Asian
logging companies, which are extracting round logs for
export
at an alarming pace and who are neglecting national
forestry
regulations. Large scale logging is very detrimental to
the
environment and further wellbeing of the people. The people at
large
will not benefit economically from this exploitation,
especially
not on the long term. In these remote areas there are
almost
no opportunities for income generation, except forest
produce,
thus 'selling' their land to logging companies is a short
term
solution to their economic needs.
Many
village communities requested the development branch of the
United
Church of the Solomon Islands to assist in marketing and
transport
of sawn timber. In 1994, the Church decided to establish
a
special organisation for economic programmes, concentrating
first
on timber: SWIFT (Solomon Western Islands Fair Trade).
SWIFT
has started a project which aims to give the inhabitants of
the
project area an opportunity for earning a good cash income
based
on forest resources, while securing the sustainability of
timber
production, also for future generations. SWIFT is open to
everyone,
but the condition of 'sustainability' determines whether
a
producer group (already over 250 family/tribe groups) benefit
from
the services within the project.
The
aims of the eco timber project are:
a. To reduce logging operations in the
Solomon (Western)
Islands
by enabling the traditional landowner groups (villagers)
in the
Western part of the Solomon Islands to say 'no' to offers
from
logging companies;
b. To assist these village groups in earning
a good cash income
based
on sustainable forest resource management, additional to non
cash
timber production for family and village needs;
c. to provide transportation possibilities
and to contribute to
the
development of a potentially strong export market for eco
timber.
These
aims comply with the major needs of the beneficiaries,
especially
with the need for a good cash income based on
sustainable
forest management.
SWIFT
will hire the assistance of the Socit Gnrale de Surveillance
(SGS)
for setting up a timber certification system according to
the
standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). SWIFT will
organize
and implement an efficient environment monitoring system
for the
milling sites and will assist all producer groups in
making
Forest Management Plans that comply with the criteria of
FSC.
All of this will result in FSC-certification of the forest
produce
and in higher prices for it: SWIFT buys timber at a price
40
times higher per cubic metre than logging companies do. The
bulk of
this timber will be exported to Europe, to be sold as
sustainable
produced tropical hardwood.
SWIFT
Timber now available on the European Market
With
his signature Bishop Philemon Riti of the United Church in
the
Solomon Islands established the company 'SWIFT Hout' in the
Netherlands
on June 7th 1995. SWIFT Hout bv. will sell the timber
(1500m3
a year) from SWIFT Solomons on the European Market. The
trust
SWIFT Netherlands is the full representative of SWIFT
Solomons
and will be responsible for the supervision of the
company
SWIFT Hout. In its total concept SWIFT is unique and
already
very successful; a lot of land (about 20.000m2) in the
Western
Provinces of the Solomons are saved from logging, because
the
tribe chose to join SWIFT.
For
more information about SWIFT and the sales in Europe please
contact:
SWIFT Netherlands, P.O.BOX 80, 6970 AB Brummen, The
Netherlands,
Ph/Fax: +5756 -4754.
******************************************************************
For
more information or copies of the EPS-Bulletin:
ECSIEP,
PO BOX 151, 3700 AD ZEIST, THE NETHERLANDS.
PH:
+31.3404.27827
FAX:
+31.3404.25614
E-mail:
ecsiep@gn.apc.org
###
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