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

The report argues that 'sustainable' and 'legal' timber policies in producer and consumer countries are often rudimentary technical responses that fail to address systemic governance flaws, corruption, and human rights violations. In Malaysia, the report highlights a lack of transparency in logging license awards and systemic violations of indigenous customary land rights. In Japan, South Korea, and Australia, the report identifies weaknesses in procurement frameworks, such as a reliance on exporter-provided paperwork and a failure to reduce overall tropical timber consumption. It concludes that without fundamental governance reforms and a reduction in consumption, certification schemes and procurement guidelines remain insufficient to prevent deforestation and social injustice.

• Malaysia's forestry governance is characterized by a lack of transparency, particularly in how logging licenses are awarded, which facilitates political patronage and corruption.
• Despite claims of high forest cover, only a small fraction of Malaysia's land is strictly protected for conservation; in 2008, totally protected areas stood at only 11% of the country's total land area.
• Malaysia's timber production has seen a steady decline since the 1990s, which the report attributes to over-harvesting rather than a commitment to sustainability.
• Indigenous customary land rights in Malaysia are systematically violated, and the government has failed to implement judicial rulings that recognize these rights as proprietary interests.
• Japan's timber procurement system relies heavily on 'faith' in the producer country's governance and uses weak definitions of legality and sustainability that lack technical depth.
• Japan's Green Purchasing Act is primarily binding on the public sector, leaving the private sector largely unaffected unless they conduct business with the government.
• South Korea lacks a specialized policy for timber importation and procurement, relying instead on general administrative procedures for customs and quarantine.
• South Korea's strategy of investing in overseas afforestation and reforestation projects is viewed as a self-serving effort to secure future timber supply rather than a solution to global deforestation.
• Australia's Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 is criticized for being poorly constructed, with low penalties and a lack of consumer disclosure mechanisms.
• Australia's procurement guidelines focus on fiscal management and do not adequately evaluate the environmental impact of source materials.
• Timber certification schemes, such as the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), are described as inadequate technical solutions that cannot resolve systemic political and governance flaws.

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} }