There is concern that the wood, covered by a tracking programme operated by SGS Forestry, is being presented as originating from well-managed forestry.
The SGS system is, in fact, designed to track timber from forest concession to port on behalf of the PNG authorities to clamp down on smuggling and safeguard export duty revenue.
Logs are tagged at the point of origin, inspected at the port and during ship loading. But the scheme does not involve assessement of forestry management.
“There do seem to be claims, whether from companies, or from the authorities that this is a guarantee of legality,” said Andy Roby, head of environment and corporate social responsibility at The Timber Trade Federation. “But all it proves is that timber ‘A’ comes from concession ‘X’, no more than that.”
“[The SGS service] has nothing to do with the awarding or management of the concessions themselves – the area most criticised by the PNG government’s own Forest Trends Report,” added TTF chief executive John White.
Earlier this year, the TTF issued a “high risk” warning to members about PNG timber because of its “absence of credible evidence of legality (ttjonline.com 11 July). Mr Roby maintained that this has had an impact with the PNG authorities. “Coming from a trade organisation rather than environmentalists, they have taken the criticism seriously,” he said. “Other national trade associations have also been looking at their position on PNG.”
