Samarinda (20/5) - Several NGOs in Kalimantan have urged PT Adindo Hutani Lestari (PT AHL), a pulpwood supplier to the Asia Pacific Resource International Ltd (APRIL) group, to immediately stop logging in deep peat natural forests in Tana Tidung Regency, North Kalimantan.

GAPETA Borneo, Kalimantan Forest Monitoring Volunteers (RPHK) and WWF-Indonesia released a report revealing that PT AHL is still logging protected peat forest after APRIL announced its Sustainable Forest Management Plan Policy in January 2014. PT. AHL has even cleared High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) assessed by an independent agency appointed by APRIL.

"It seems that APRIL's sustainable commitment is only on paper, not implemented in the field," said Gapeta Borneo Chairman, Kamiruddin. "The indiscriminate logging of natural forests and the digging of deep peat canals clearly damage the environment and trigger carbon release." Deforestation in deep peat must be stopped because it is protected by regulations.

Carbon stored in peat layers will release large amounts of emissions when drained for logging of natural forests and development of forest plantations. Drained peat layers are also susceptible to fire hazards.

AHL Sesayap concession is a secondary and primary peat swamp forest ecosystem with good forest cover. In light of APRIL's sustainability commitments monitored by civil society groups, the HCV assessment in this concession should be completed first and all logging and peat clearing operations halted.

"It is time for APRIL to listen to the concerns of civil society groups and end the logging of natural forest and orangutan habitat in Kalimantan," said Sulhani of RPHK. "APRIL should be consistent with its sustainable policy commitments and not cut down high conservation value forests that they themselves have designated as protected areas."

"These findings are irrefutable facts that APRIL is not serious about their sustainability commitments and the public is increasingly questioning the direction of their policies," said Syachraini of WWF-Indonesia. ""Not only is APRIL's HCVF assessment questionable because it allows most of the identified HCVs to be cleared, but smaller HCVs recommended for protection are also being cleared.""

WWF reminds APRIL to strictly maintain compliance with their sustainable forest management policy (SFMP), primarily by not logging on areas identified as having HCVs.

The NGO has previously criticized similar failures in the protection of HCV areas by some of APRIL's suppliers and this led to APRIL's FSC Chain of Custody certificate being suspended in 2010. WWF urges APRIL to immediately cease all natural forest logging and peat development activities and implement its sustainable forest management plan to prevent this from happening again.

PT AHL's Sesayap sector concession still has considerable areas of good natural forest, much of which is deep peat. The NGO coalition calls on APRIL to begin implementing a moratorium on logging across its supplier concessions, despite the HCVF assessment. The coalition is also calling on APRIL to conduct HCV assessments and be peer-reviewed by the HCV Resources Network as well as conduct HCS and peat assessment studies to ensure the company is not causing further deforestation.

Gapeta Borneo, RPHK and WWF-Indonesia urge pulp and paper buyers not to engage in business until APRIL has implemented its sustainable forest management plan and its implementation is checked by a credible independent audit institution.

The NGO alliance in East Kalimantan, Kaltara and West Kalimantan as part of civil society will continue to monitor the progress of APRIL's performance and disseminate it to the public.

For more information, please contact:

• Kamiruddin, GAPETA Borneo (+62 852 4669 9108, gami18@ymail.com)
• Sulhani, RPHK (+62 561 6589198, icunks@gmail.com)
• Syachraini, WWF-Indonesia Program Kaltim-Kaltara (+62 821 5579 4523, syachraini@wwf.or.id)