11/18/01 -- Rimbunan Hijau Moves to Destroy Russia's Forests

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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY

Rimbunan Hijau Moves to Destroy Russia's Forests

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org, Inc.

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

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11/18/01

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Forests.org

Rimbunan Hijau is one of the most ecologically and socially

destructive logging companies on the face of the Earth. They have

hammered the forests of Sarawak, Malaysia; are in mid-plunder in

Papua New Guinea, and have gained a foothold in the Amazon and

elsewhere. I have seen grown foresters cry at the senseless waste

and destruction of their particular brand of destructive forestry.

They are aggressively trying to access the World's last great forest

wildlands. Their business practices devastate regional ecosystems,

undermine political independence and limit future economic

development options. And now they are targeting Russia's massive

forests - the article below indicates that the law-breaking and

excessive harvests are just commencing.

There are various responses to this final assault on the World's

large, intact and wild forests. Surprisingly, the reformist agenda

is nearly universally accepted - despite decades of failure. But

these criminal logging ventures are irredeemable. It is time for

WWF, Greenpeace, the World Bank and others to stop trying to reform

their practices and start trying to shut them down. Any effort

to certify their practices is in vain. Ecologically sustainable

options to manage and protect these forests exist - including

certified community forestry, eco-tourism, non-timber forest products

and widespread protected areas financed by the international

community. My advice to Russia and Brazil - throw these bums out

before they ravage your country. And to the Malaysian government:

_Shame on You_ for failing to reign in your predatory loggers.

g.b.

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ITEM #1

Title: Rimbunan Hijau logging in Russia sparks eco-fears

Date: November 16, 2001

Byline: Leong Kar Yen

6:15pm, Fri: Russian environmentalists expressed their concern that

logging activities in the northeastern region of Russia by Malaysian

timber company Rimbunan Hijau would cause irreparable ecological

damage and adversely affect the lives of people there.

Approximately 310,000 hectares of forest in the sub-district of Lazo,

Khabarovsky, would be affected and 550,000 cu m would be logged

yearly. The logging concession was sold to Rimbunan Hijau in 1997 for

a period of 49 years. The company has also bought up the concessions

for two other areas, Solnechsky and Ulchsky, further up north.

Rimbunan Hijau is owned by Sarawakian timber and newspaper tycoon

Tiong Hiew King who has business interests in Hong Kong, Papua New

Guinea, Cambodia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and other places.

"The ecology and the environment as well as the livelihoods of people

living in the area would be severely affected," indigenous rights

activist Radion Sulandziqq told malaysiakini today.

Overlapping territories

Sulandziqq lives in Gvasyugi, a town about 50km away from the logging

area, which is part of a territory allocated for traditional use of

resources by indigenous populations.

"Our biggest concern is that Rimbunan Hijau does not have any

long-term plans and it is only there to maximise profits. It is an

international company that just takes what it wants and leaves.

"It (this issue) also concerns the indigenous people and the

landscape", Sulandziqq said.

According to him, the logging activities overran a territory marked

out for the use of the locals to hunt, fish and gather. Destruction

of the forests would mean that locals would be forced to move out

farther to survive.

The Penan, an indigenous group in the interior of Sarawak, have also

protested in August last year against Rimbunan Hijau when its

subsidiary Lajung Lumber logged their forest settlement in Baram.

Fined several times

In another development, Sulandziqq also said a road was being planned

to connect the northern region of Russia to a port on the Sea of

Japan.

"If the new road is opened up another area in the neighbouring region

of Primovsky would be affected. There would be logging and illegal

poaching," he said, adding that another Russian company was also

aggressively logging in Primovsky.

Irina Belova, a journalist who lives in the Khabarovsky region, said

that Rimbunan Hijau had been fined several times for infraction of

forestry laws.

"It has paid the fines but the regional administration is becoming

less and less vigilant or eager to record down infractions," Belova

said.

However, according to her, Rimbunan Hijau had also paid RM380,000

(US$100,000) for a reforestation programme, RM1.71 million

(US$450,000) to the regional administration and RM380,000 to the

indigenous population.

"The project, however, also provides work for the people living in

Sukpai, which was a Soviet-era town created to harvest the timber

there. When the economy took a turn for the worse, the people there

lost their jobs but they gained employment when the company came in.

"But you must keep in mind this is only for the short term," she

said.

Sulandziqq and Belova are part of a group of Russian

environmentalists who came to Kuala Lumpur for a three-day conference

called the "Ring of fire" that discussed industrial timber trade

activities and forest conservation efforts. The conference ended

yesterday.

Members of the coalition of environmentalists and indigenous

activists who attended the conference are from Malaysia, Papua New

Guinea, Vanuatu, Burma, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore,

Thailand, Russia, Indonesia, the United States and Japan.

ITEM #2

Title: Illegal logging spreads in Russia

Date: October 29, 2001

Byline: Francis Markus in the Pacific port of Vladivostok

Environmental activists in the Russian Far East are becoming

increasingly concerned about the extent of illegal logging in the

region. They say the rich timber resources of the ancient forests are

being mercilessly plundered despite Russia's strict laws on logging.

Environmentalists blame corruption by local officials and lack of

funds to enforce controls on timber shipments.

Much of the wood is being exported by rail to neighbouring China.

Just outside a small station on the main line, some 400 kilometres

(250 miles) north of Vladivostok, a long train of goods wagons

without a locomotive waits in a siding.

The cars are piled high with logs lashed tightly in place. Two young

Russian environmentalists prowl around with a video camera.

They are excited at what they say is crystal clear evidence of

illegal logging.

Six of the wagons are loaded with Korean pine, a type of tree they

say Russia's forestry laws strictly prohibit from being cut down.

The activists say the standard three-metre lengths into which the

trees are chopped suggest that they are bound for export across the

nearby Chinese border.

But trying to pin things down any further is the hard part. At one of

the several Chinese-operated sawmills in the town, a company official

insists his firm is not exporting the protected Korean pine.

Official denials

He says all its timber shipments are legal and properly documented.

When the activists try to challenge the local trade office over the

consignment, an indignant official tells them it is none of their

business. The town's governor, forewarned of the environmentalists'

visit, together with a foreign journalist, is refusing to meet them.

Residents say he has even ordered the local police officer to keep an

eye on them. He apparently knew they were coming after friends of his

saw the group interviewing people in a transport cafe on the way from

Vladivostok.

That was bad news for the environmentalists - that and the fact that

they could do absolutely nothing about the consignment of illegally

logged timber being shunted out before their very eyes.

The only glimmer of good news was that while they had gloomily

predicted that the women serving in the transport cafe would know a

little and care less about illegal logging, they proved to be both

informed and agitated about it.

One of them said heatedly that even though Russia's timber resources

were vast, if they continued to be sold off at the present rate,

there would be nothing left for her grandchildren. See also:

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