Jakarta - WWF welcomes the moratorium on new clearing of natural forests and peatlands effective immediately today as part of the enhancement of the Sustainable Forestry Management Policy (SFMP 2.0), as announced today by pulp and paper conglomerate Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL).

"The strengthening of APRIL's SFMP announced today is a response to long-standing demands from civil society groups to stop deforestation. WWF expects APRIL to implement this commitment thoroughly to realize the potential of production forest management that has positive environmental and social impacts," said Dr. Efransjah, CEO of WWF Indonesia.

While optimistic, WWF is also cautiously optimistic about APRIL's commitment to full and rigorous implementation of this policy. WWF will continue to monitor the progress of SFMP 2.0 implementation alongside other stakeholders such as with the NGO coalition, Eyes on the Forest.

Under the new policy, APRIL commits not to procure or acquire any new land, licenses or wood suppliers that have a history of forest or land clearing in violation of the forest management principles set out in SFMP 2.0 While APRIL commits not to clear or drain forested peatlands, there are opportunities to develop degraded peatlands based on studies and recommendations from independent peatland experts. The new policy also includes a commitment to the protection of High Carbon Stock (HCS) areas identified in accordance with the HCS approach defined by the HCS Approach Steering Group.

As part of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), WWF will continue to work with other members, including experts and civil society groups, to support and advise APRIL as it fulfills its commitments and undergoes a transition process to become a more responsible producer. WWF also calls on APRIL to expand the representation of civil society groups in the SAC membership and conduct an independent review of the progress of SFMP 2.0 implementation. WWF requests APRIL to respond and follow up on all recommendations and inputs from the SAC and other key stakeholders in a clear and transparent manner.

"This new commitment looks stronger and is a step forward in the company's transformation towards responsible and sustainable production," said. Aditya Bayunanda, Forest Commodity Market Transformation Leader, WWF Indonesia.

"WWF will continue to work with other civil society organizations to monitor and assess APRIL's consistency with these new commitments," Bayunanda added.

For more information, please contact:

Aditya Bayunanda, Forest Commodity Market Transformation Leader, WWF-Indonesia
Email: abayunanda@wwf.or.id, Hp: +62-818-265-588

Nenden N. Fathiastuti, Public Relations Manager WWF-Indonesia
Email: nfathiastuti@wwf.or.id, Hp: +62 811 1909-148

Rod Taylor, Director WWF Global Forest Programme
Email: rtaylor@wwfint.org, Phone: +41 798177620

Note to Editor:

APRIL's Forest Conservation Management Policy can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/ForestConservationPolicyAPRIL.