There is still a low level of awareness among both the Japanese timber industry and consumers about the real picture concerning logging practices and its effects on indigenous communities, according to two Japanese forest campaigners.

After visiting areas in Baram, Ulu Balleh and Lundu in Sarawak and talking to local NGOs and members of local communities, Junichi Mishiba and Makota Ehara of Friends of the Earth (FOE) Japan told malaysiakini that the stories they had heard and read about indigenous groups facing problems because of extensive logging activities in Sarawak "turned out to be true."

They had also been told that Indonesian logs were allegedly being smuggled across the border into Sarawak from West Kalimantan. These are either processed locally or re-exported in log form as logs from Sarawak to overseas markets, including Japan.

"We're still looking for the hard evidence of such smuggling," said Makoto.

Explaining the purpose of their visit, Junichi's second to Sarawak, he said the FOE has a programme approved by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) focussing on Malaysia and Indonesia to promote certified timber and legally-verified timber for the Japanese market.

The move, according to the FOE forest campaigner, is to shut out from the market what he described as "unexpected" timber, sometimes referred to as illegal and destructive timber from the environmental and social aspects.

'Fair wood'

"At the same time, a campaign has been underway since 2002 to promote 'fair wood' which is considered environmentally, socially and economically friendly.

"We want to promote this fair wood campaign not only in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea but also in the Northern Hemisphere like Russia and other countries from which Japan also buys timber from," he added.

According to FOE, based on the latest available official statistics, Japan imported 88 million cubic metres of timber (including round logs and timber processed products) in 2005, of which 14% were imported from Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Out of the 88 million cubic metre, seven percent was from Malaysia, with the log imports component (of about 800,000 cubic metres) mainly from Sarawak.

The bulk of Japanese consumption goes to the housing as well as the paper and pulp industries.

Clearer picture

Meanwhile, Junichi said they came to see how the forests were being managed in Sarawak.

"We came to obtain a clearer picture of what's going on," he said, adding that they were assisted by their local counterparts like Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia).

According to the FOE campaigners, the stories they have heard about the indigenous people in Sarawak struggling to hold on to their native customary rights (NCR) land are true.

"There is clearly a big gap in the difference of opinion between the natives and the government regarding native rights to NCR land," he said.

Many Japanese NGOs, including Sarawak Campaign Committee (SCC) and Japan Timber Action Network (Jatan) have been working quietly to help solve the problems for the natives.

"Unfortunately the problems are still not solved but are in fact getting more serious on the ground," Junichi said.

With the low level of awareness in Japan about what's going on in Sarawak, on their return to Japan, he said FOE would organise workshops and seminars for the timber trade importers, traders and suppliers who deal directly with consumers in order to educate and train them and to make them more aware about the importance in dealing only with fair and certified timber.

"We will tell them the facts in our findings from this latest visit," he said, adding that they would also be meeting the Malaysian Timber Council and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council in Peninsular Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Sadia secretary-general Nichola Munjah (photo: right) told malaysiakini that this was the first time that Sadia had been approached by FOE to work together on the issues.

"Junichi emailed me last month to say they were coming and we brought them to visit the area in Sebako, Sematan where there is a conflict between the company operating in the area and the locals about the disturbance caused to water catchment areas," he added.