A First-Hand Account of Illegal Logging in the Indonesian Rainforests
Fred Stolle is program manager for World Resources Institute’s Forest Landscape Objective, working on forest governance, forest changes, and their impacts on climate change, and biofuels issues in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia.
WEST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE, INDONESIA - On a recent trip into the rainforests of the Indonesian part of Borneo Island, our team got first-hand accounts of the effects, causes—and the possible solutions—to rampant illegal logging.
Indonesia has nearly 70 million people living in or near forest land, many of them living on less than US$1 per day. Illegal logging operations cause widespread destruction of forests and, although it does earn short-term gains for a few, it destroys the livelihoods of people who depend upon the forests.
Just after we left, Indonesian officials cracked down on smallholder illegal logging in the region. But having smallholders thrown into jail is not necessarily a success. Many of these imprisoned are people living under a US$1 per day. They often live in miserable circumstances and are trying to make a living. They are not the buyers or the people who are driving the illegal deforestation. Undoubtedly, as soon as the police leave, new illegal loggers will replace the old ones and the long-term gain will still be missing.
Law enforcement is needed, but it must be done with smart planning and development—not by simply throwing people out or arresting them.
Why?
1. Indonesia is one of the largest tropical timber producers, with an estimated 80 percent of timber exports being illegal. This poses serious environmental and economic concerns.
2. The Indonesian government fails to capture over US$100 million per year in tax revenue on illegal logging and exports.
3. The cheap and plentiful supply of timber from illegal sources depresses timber prices worldwide by 2 percent to 4 percent and thus also impacts the U.S. timber industry.
4. Deforestation in Indonesia accounts for 4 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. And thus deforestation in Indonesia is a major contributor to climate change.
The field trip was interesting and the team I traveled with looked beyond short-term fixes and more towards better understanding the forestry issues Indonesia is struggling with in remote places and looking for ways to combine U.S. and Indonesian expertise to work towards solutions.
The delegation was led by Jim Hubbard, deputy chief for state and private forestry of the U.S. agency, and Dr. Togu Manurung, special advisor to the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry.
See pictures and read more at the World Resources Institute website.
