From gbarry@forests.org Sat Dec 22 17:25:53 2001
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 19:54:20 -0600
From: Glen Barry 
Subject: FORESTS: 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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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
Source:   Copyright 2001 Malaysiakini
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
Source:   Copyright 2001 BBC
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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