JAKARTA, RadarPena.com – The Network of Independent Forestry Monitors (JPIK) has asked the government to be firm on companies that do not have legality in managing timber. Because of JPIK’s observation, many companies did not comply with the implementation of the Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK), especially in the areas of North Sumatra, North Kalimantan and North Maluku.

“Based on the results of our study in the field, it turns out that there are still a lot of naughty companies that do not follow the SVLK rules. The government must provide strict sanctions against companies that violate SVLK rules, both companies that move upstream and downstream,” said JPIK Dynamic Muhamad Kosar in his official statement in Jakarta on Thursday (12/24).

According to Kosar, the implementation of SVLK is mandatory for all companies in the forestry sector both upstream and downstream. The SVLK implementation requires companies to comply with the rules that apply, including in order to avoid social conflicts with communities around the concession, not to use timber from protected areas stipulated by the company, and for the wood industry not to use timber without SVLK certificates.

“SVLK is an effort built by the government to combat illegal logging and trade in illegal timber. But unfortunately there are still in a number of regions found social conflicts between the community and the concession owner as happened in Simalungun, North Sumatra, where logging and deprivation of the Kemenyan Forest belongs “Indigenous people that trigger the causes of conflict and eliminate the sources of people’s lives,” explained Kosar.

Meanwhile, Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) campaigner Mufti Barri said indications of violations were also found in the timber supply and distribution chain to the downstream level, namely the primary wood industry. One of them is a company located in Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. The largest timber industry company in Sulawesi is strongly suspected of receiving wood supplies from sources that do not have legality.

Conversion of natural forest without the existence of SVLK, according to him, will lead to conflict and adverse effects on the carrying capacity of the environment in Central Halmahera. The difficulty of accessing information related to company activities is the main obstacle to supervision from the community.

“Information disclosure in forest management is the key so that people know which legal and illegal company activities are,” Kosar said.

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