Jakarta (11/08) – WWF-Indonesia and The Borneo Initiative (TBI) officiates their commitment in saving one of the most valued forests in the world, Borneo. Today’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing formally marked their concurrence to curb illegal logging and achieve sustainable forest management in Borneo through credible forest certification.
Both WWF-Indonesia and TBI believe that well preserved forests are the congregation between sustainable management, high social and economic viability as well as high conservation value areas. Therefore, the involvement of all major stakeholders such as governments, private sectors, forest management units, community and NGOs are key success to the contribution for Borneo’s sustainable forest management.
“The MoU signing between WWF-Indonesia and The Borneo Initiative is a good step in achieving Indonesia’s better forestry practice. We see that TBI share the same interest and spirit as WWF”, said WWF Indonesia Supervisory Board Tati S. Darsoyo.
“With great pride we present this unique cooperation to boost sustainable forest management in Indonesia,” explained Executive Member of The Board of TBI Jesse Kuijper. “Only cooperation with all important stakeholders can lead to a great result in the near future. With the financial support of several leading companies in Europe, also the market side wishes to express their commitment in contributing to solution coming to sustainable forest management in Indonesia”, he added.
Indonesia is one of the largest producer countries of industrial timber, pulp and paper in the world. Such devotion on attaining sustainable forest management in Borneo is a fresh air for both WWF-Indonesia and TBI in taking a high road to fight against illegal logging and unsustainable practices.
“The use of timber from responsibly managed forests is widely regarded as a way to help solve the problem of deforestation and forest degradation. We fully support the innovative offer from the TBI,” said WWF-Indonesia's Forest, Terrestrial Species and Freshwater Director Ian Kosasih.
At the MoU signing, WWF Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) Indonesia Coordinator Aditya Bayunanda expressed his positive view about the cooperation. “The signing of this MoU signifies the close collaboration to come to GFTN and TBI to accelerate sustainable forest management certification in Indonesia”, he emphasized.
Today’s MoU is the continuation of a conference called Jakarta Conference: Linking Dutch Markets to Borneo’s Sustainable Forest held in Jakarta on 26 – 29 March 2007. In the conference, the Dutch housing associations announced its commitment to build 100,000 houses in five years using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber from Borneo. The Jakarta Conference brings together companies and producers from Indonesia, as well as housing associations, members of the timber/processing and construction industry and retailers from the Netherlands, to forge business relationships that promote sustainable timber supply.
About WWF
For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level, from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. Go to worldwildlife.org to learn more.
About The Borneo Initiative (TBI)
The Borneo Initiative is an international foundation based in The Netherlands and founded in 2008. TBI is intended as platform to further accelerate sustainable forest management in Indonesia through LEI-FSC certification with involvement of all major stakeholders. The TBI target is to contribute directly – by way of funding, know-how and access to the stakeholders’ network – to the increase of the LEI-FSC certified area in Indonesia from the current 1 million hectares to 3 million hectares in 2012.
About the Global Forest & Trade Network
The Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) is WWF’s initiative to combat illegal and unsustainable logging. The Network promotes responsible management of valuable and threatened forests in the Amazon, Amur-Heilong (Russia), Borneo, Sumatra, Congo, Mekong (Southeast Asia) and other areas where forests are threatened. GFTN assists companies in evaluating their procurement and implementing appropriate action plans to ensure sustainable supply. By facilitating trade links between companies committed to responsible forestry, the GFTN creates market conditions that help conserve forests while providing economic and social benefits for the businesses and people that depend on them. More than 370 companies are members of the GFTN, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, forest owners and managers. Read more about our work on sustainable forestry at: www.gftn.panda.org

For further information:
Aditya Bayunanda, WWF Indonesia, abayunanda@wwf.or.id, +6221 5761070
Rizal Bukhari, The Borneo Initiative, rbukhari@wwf.or.id, +6221 576 1070