In a authoritative step in the right steering , Indonesia has been issued a newfangled permit by the EU that will make it the world ’s first nation to sell woodland under new environmental standards .
It wasannounced yesterdaythat Indonesia had qualified for the world ’s first Forest Law Enforcement , Governance and Trade ( FLEGT ) permission , mean that from November , timber that does not expect this certificate will be prohibited from trading in the EU and consumers can rest guarantee they are buying from logical , audited factories and forests .
The permit is part of the EU ’s FLEGT Action Plan , which it has been trying to implement for over a decade , to stop over the deluge of illicitly felled timbre into the EU and kick in to sustainable forest management worldwide . This is also one of the United Nation’s2030 Sustainable Development Goals .
Indonesia has developed its own timbre sound substantiation scheme , demonstrating its purport to battle the illegal logging that is prevailing across its woods , which was key to being bring out the licence .
Indonesia ’s struggle againstcorruption , illegal logging , and disforestation is well documented . Between 2003 and 2014 , the estimated commercial-grade economic value of “ undeclared logging ” was between $ 60.7 billion and $ 81.4 billion , fit in to a studyby the land ’s anti - corruption charge . The sketch also take that official figures captured for timber output was only actuallyabout a quarterof the Mrs. Henry Wood harvested during that full stop .
Under the new organization , the Indonesia government will only write out licence and security to producers who use wood it believes comply with the strict environmental , societal , and economic laws . An self-governing third party monitored by environmental chemical group will publish the licenses .
" Indonesia has hold important steps to strengthen woodland organization , battle illegal logging , modernize its timberland sector , and better business concern practices,“saidRobert Simpson of the UN ’s Food and Agriculture FLEGT course of study .
" In addition to helping to limit the environmental damage triggered by illegal logging , demonstrating timber legality opens the doorway to promoting the sustainable livelihoods of forest communities and increasing access to outside woods markets , " he added .
There are presently five more countries – Cameroon , Ghana , Liberia , Republic of Congo , and the Central African Republic – who are work on with the EU towards their own FLEGT license and a further nine wanting to open negotiation . These 15 countries make up24 percentof the world ’s tropical forest and ply up to three - stern of the EU ’s tropical forest signification .
Aware that this is only the beginning of what could be an uphill battle , those involved appear both affirmative and pragmatic .
" We do believe the system is believable , " state Charles - Michel Geurts , deputy principal of the EU missionary station to Indonesia in astatement . " But today is the get-go date , not the finish . "
