From policy to reality: ‘Sustainable’ tropical timber production, trade and procurement

This report by Friends of the Earth International provides a critical analysis of forestry governance in Malaysia and the timber procurement policies of Japan, South Korea, and Australia. It argues that existing 'sustainable' and 'legal' timber frameworks are often rudimentary technical responses that fail to address systemic issues such as corruption, lack of transparency, and the violation of indigenous customary land rights in producer countries. The document highlights a significant gap between official policy and the reality on the ground, noting that importer countries often rely on the 'faith' of producer-country governance rather than independent verification.

• Malaysia's forestry governance is characterized by a lack of transparency, particularly in the awarding of logging licenses, which the report claims are used as tools for political patronage and self-enrichment by political elites.
• The report challenges Malaysia's claims of maintaining a 55 percent forest cover, stating that in 2008, totally protected areas reserved exclusively for conservation stood at only 3.61 million hectares, or approximately 11 percent of the country's total land area.
• Indigenous customary land rights in Malaysia are systematically violated, with the executive and legislative arms failing to implement judicial rulings that recognize these rights as pre-existing and not dependent on modern statutes.
• The Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) is criticized as an inadequate technical solution that cannot resolve systemic political and governance flaws, such as the lack of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for indigenous communities.
• Japan's Green Purchasing Act and its 2006 guidelines for wood products are limited because they are primarily binding on the public sector and rely on weak definitions of legality and sustainability that lack technical depth.
• Japan's timber procurement system is described as relying on 'faith' in the producer country's governance, as it lacks a mandatory requirement for independent verification of the actual conditions on the ground.
• South Korea lacks a specialized national policy or clear standards for the 'sustainability' and 'legality' of its timber imports, focusing instead on ensuring a stable supply of timber through imports and overseas plantations.
• South Korea's promotion of overseas afforestation and reforestation projects is criticized as a 'false solution' that prioritizes the stability of future timber supply and carbon credits over genuine biodiversity conservation.
• Australia's Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 is described as poorly constructed and weak because it relies on a list of 'regulated' timber products that were not yet defined at the time of the report and lacks a reference to environmental sustainability.
• The penalties for violating Australia's Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 are deemed too low to act as a deterrent, with a maximum fine of AU $55,000 for individuals.

APA

Raman, M., Mishiba, J., Kim, H. J., & Davies, D. (2013). From policy to reality: ‘Sustainable’ tropical timber production, trade and procurement. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/From-policy-to-reality.pdf

Chicago

Raman, Meenakshi, Junichi Mishiba, Hyun Ji Kim, and Derec Davies. From policy to reality: ‘Sustainable’ tropical timber production, trade and procurement. Friends of the Earth International, 2013. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/From-policy-to-reality.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Raman |first1=Meenakshi |last2=Mishiba |first2=Junichi |last3=Kim |first3=Hyun Ji |last4=Davies |first4=Derec |title=From policy to reality: ‘Sustainable’ tropical timber production, trade and procurement |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=October 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/From-policy-to-reality.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{raman2013from, author = {Raman, Meenakshi and Mishiba, Junichi and Kim, Hyun Ji and Davies, Derec}, title = {{From policy to reality: ‘Sustainable’ tropical timber production, trade and procurement}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/From-policy-to-reality.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }