British Green Group to Monitor Cambodian Forests

***********************************************

WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

***********************************************

Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest Conservation

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

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

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

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/

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

This document is a PHOTOCOPY for educational, personal and non-

commercial use only. Recipients should seek permission from the

source for reprinting. All efforts are made to provide accurate,

timely pieces; though ultimate responsibility for verifying all

information rests with the reader. Check out our Gaia's Forest

Conservation Archives & Portal at URL= http://forests.org/

Networked by Forests.org, Inc., gbarry@forests.org