The Malaysian Timber Council says it will strongly appeal against the withdrawal of approval for the Malaysian Timber Council Certification Scheme (MTCS) by the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC).
Previously TPAC judged that the Malaysian scheme satisfied Dutch evironmental procurement criteria as proof of legality and sustainability. However, following objections from five NGOs, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Netherlands, it has revised its view. As a result, Dutch state secretary for the environment Joop Astma will reconsider whether MTCS-certified wood meets Netherlands government procurement policy.
TPAC acknowledged the “vast improvements” in forest management that had resulted from MTCS certification of 40,000km² of Malaysian forest. But it said that it had suspended approval of the scheme, primarily because it did not always respect the rights of the Orang Asli indigenous group, which was the main complaint from the NGOs.
“We are of the opinion their traditional forest use confers certain rights on the Orang Asli, such as the right to give permission to log and receive compensation for logging activities,” said TPAC.
Sheam Satkuru Granzella, director of the MTC’s London office, said her organisation would strongly argue the case for the MTCS with TPAC.
“We will appeal against this latest outcome,” she said. “We feel that TPAC is expecting MTCS to go beyond what a timber certification scheme can actually deliver. The implementation of any scheme has to be within the legislative process of the country in which it operates.”
TPAC said a secondary concern was that the MTCS in its present form offered “insufficient protection” against conversion of forest for other uses, such as rubber plantation.
Ms Satkuru Granzella said the MTC also felt as if “there is more emphasis on the MTCS scheme purely because it operates in a tropical country”.
