Nexus - 0110 - New Times Magazine-pages

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he Penan resorted to blockading | decisivemovesby aconsumercountryto | countries such as Taiwan probably timber roads in an effort to stop this | help reform the tropical timber industry | originated in Sarawak. Most of the massive destruction and to preserve their | to ensure human rights and environmental | Malaysian timber is used for low quality way of life. The blockades of timber | standards are met. Australia has a | end-uses... window frames, doors etc. roads by thousands of native people in | strategic position near Asia, and has | Most is called “Meranti” or “Pacific Sarawak in 1987 stopped logging | alternative sources for topical timbers | Maple”. We can help by being aware of activities in two major timber districts. | use, particularly plantation grown pine. these names and not buy these timbers. After these were dismantled new ee The Building Workers Industrial blockades kept springing up, where these Prince Ch rles has Union (BWIU) in the state of Victoria humble tribes people braved sweltering d est ribed the effec has banned the use of rainforest timber tropical sun and cold mountain winds. on building sites, with the Union in the Over one hundred Penan tribes- of logging on Born rest of the country possibly to follow suit. people have been imprisoned for trying indigenous people. as The Waterside Workers Federation to protect their native lands, They seek “ lective genocide”. (WWP), along with some other Unions, formal legal recognition of their are considering placing temporary bans customary land and forest rights, and the The large majority ‘of tropical timber | on the unloading of rainforest timbers human right in law to defend their | comes from Malaysia, but only a small | from ships. Let us hope that many more property against trespass and damage. amount comes directly from Sarawak, | such initiatives are undertaken and that Timber is now Sarawak’s biggest | mostly from Sabah. This point has been | the Australian Government responds foreign exchange earner, Most logs are | raised by the timber industry here andis | favourably, not only for the sake of saving shipped to Japan. Australia imports | important to keep in mind. However, | an endangered forest, but also for the people 400,000cu.m. of Malaysian timber a | some tropical timber comes from { whorely on that forest... and ultimately that year, about 2% of the world trade. | Singapore and other places. Also, | includes the entire population of the planet. Australia is well placed to make the first | furniture and other finished goods from | - by Jenny Dell and Bruno Manser The Environmental View | ———— The Australian Government Position C ampaigns in Australia for the he Federal Government has not A consultants report (by Coopers & preservation of international rainforests decided its policy on tropical timber | Lybrand), commissioned by the Government have mostly focused on South East Asia and | importation, but it is presently being | isnotpublic, butis rumoured to be very poor, the logging issue. The Penan issue has been addressed in Canberra. They will probably | not grasping the issues and ignoring the tied to the tropical timber campaign and given favour a “cooperative” approach with indigenous peoples rights. wide publicity. The environmental Malaysia and other countries, encouraging Regretably, there are powerful Ministers movement in Australia is calling for a | themto“bettermanage”theirtimberindustry | in the Government, such as Gareth Evans conditional ban on the importation of tropical to make it “sustainable”, etc. As yet, they and John Kerin who are opposed to timber, until such time as the timbers meet have made no specific moves on the part of Australia taking firm action, such as banning high environmental and human rights the Penan, such as representations to the all or some of our tropical timber imports. standards. This is not “a total end to all Malaysian Government; showing little 4 F : e imports”, as seen by some people including | understanding of rainforest logging in Asia, many Malaysians. At present, this ban would its effect on the lives and cultures of indigenous include virtually all timber, barring a small people, or on the natural environment, amount from plantations, as there is no There is a widespread view that export suitable timber produced from virgin forests. earnings are good for the country as a whole, a Ttis essential that there be some refusal to not considering the fact that logging or other buy tropical timber, as currently produced, by | industrial activities can create poverty, by : bo 8 € consuming countries such as Australia, to | ruining the peoples’ resource base. Ros —s : force the timber industries and Governments Kelly, Minister for the Environment, is Bruno Manser, with Democrat M.P., of the producer countries to change their ways. | preparing a submission to Cabinet (a policy | Hon. Richard Jones at the Sydney press The fact that there is no such thing as forming group of Ministers) on this issue. Conference, appeals to the Government. “sustainable” industrial logging of rainforests on acommercialscale hasbeen | ———————— The Timber Industry View a major focus for environmentallsts, Tbe Australian timber importers are very worried by the campaigns of environmental particularly | as Australian rainforests have and human rights groups over rainforest logging and the resultant public awareness and been extensively logged. pressure. The major industry group, National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI), have Ue fia tame tessa Sa. Leal ee reat as te produced a briefing document on the issue of tropical timber. They support the current trade in Umber industry and others (such as the | | pical timbers, based on the following reasons, ic. that logging of tropical forests is not necessarily Malaysian ePeaainiea vanttingally ire. coviansmaieiic destructive; heehee len” Asian saibeuen currency; that destruction justify a practives. ‘Tospioal timber ofrainforest for agriculture by the rural poor is the major problem and logging, ona world scale, production mist NOT come roe natal is unimportant in destroying rainforests. The timber industry never mentions that indigenous forests, but rather from plantations. people are adversely affected by constant logging, resulting in the destruction of their homes. Nexus *10 13 EE EERIE EIEN