Environment
Can Eco-Forestry Replace Logging?
Solomon's Timber Shipment Is Good News For Native Forests
The arrival of a second shipment of ecotimber from the Solomon Islands to Australia in May is another notch in the success story of the country's eco-forestry program. It is also a rare "good news" story for the Solomon Islands-a country hanging on by a thread after years of tribal conflict, lawlessness, corruption and a near-bankrupt economy.
The shipment of 18 cubic meters (59 cubic feet) of high quality timber from the Solomons will directly benefit the villagers who have been sustainably managing their own forest and began exporting ecotimber three years ago. The timber is cut in such a way that causes minimal damage to the surrounding forest. Mostly imported Dillenia and Kwila species, most of the timber will be used for joinery, furniture and flooring. The first shipment to Australia was sent in 2000.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
The arrival of a second shipment marks another milestone for the village ecotimber producers who have opted for a sustainable income and forest protection. It has also taken a lot of hard work to reach this point. The villagers' achievement stands in stark contrast to the out-of-control, illegal logging which is threatening to destroy most of the Solomons Islands' productive forests within the next five years.
 |
|
|
The eco-timber has been milled at the village of Lobi on New Georgia Island in the western Solomons. Lobi is part of the magnificent Marovo Lagoon region-one of the world's largest double-barrier enclosed lagoons, hailed by author James Michener as the "eighth wonder of the world." Illegal logging has encroached so far that it has killed any hope for proposed World Heritage listing of Marovo Lagoon. It is now threatening ecotourism in the region as logging sites are visible from some ecotourism lodges. Ecoforestry is one industry which has actually grown in recent years while substantial chunks of the Solomons' economy have closed down.
The most recent report by the Asia Development Bank says the Solomons' economy had contracted by about 26 percent since 1998. The federal government's total debt has surged to 110 percent of GDP in 2002, of which 79 percent is external debt. Export revenue has fallen by 60 percent since palm plantation, the Gold Ridge gold mine and the Solomon Taiyo tuna cannery-have all closed because of continuing social unrest and violence. The Solomons' dire financial situation means logging is now the economic mainstay. With 85 percent of the country's revenue provided by the export of logs, this increases pressure on the government to turn a blind eye to illegal logging (mostly by foreign-owned companies) and its resultant devastation.
 |
|
|
Meanwhile, the eco-forestry program has continued to expand since it began in 1993 at the request of indigenous forest owners who were facing the threat of widespread industrial logging and the destruction of their communities. The Solomon Islands eco-forestry project is a joint initiative of the Solomon Islands Development Trust, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Imported Tropical Timber Group of New Zealand. Its mission statement clearly sets out the projects's objectives: "Strengthening the quality of village living through conservative and sustainable utilization of the nation's forest wealth."
Since 1995, the program has trained 56 land-owning groups across the Solomons and consistently provides ongoing extension support services and monitoring to eco-timber producers. The program's marketing arm, Village Eco-Timber Exporters, links village producers to overseas customers and acts as a direct selling agent for trained eco-timber producers in the Solomon Islands. VETE was set up in 1996 to handle, grade, bundle and export the increasing volumes of eco-timbers that were flowing into Honiara from the islands.
Since then, VETE has developed strong market relationships with New Zealand and Australian-based timber merchants who have agreed to pay a premium price on all eco-timbers sourced from well-managed indigenous forests. In its first three years of operation, VETE exported 1,800 cubic meters of freshly milled eco-timbers. This brought in a total net profit of SBD$3.21 million (US$466,038) to the local communities.
Although 1999-2002 was seen as the most difficult period in the nation's history due to the violent ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal, most eco-timber producers in other provinces increased their production volume by almost 80 percent and there was a steep increase in overall eco-timber production.
Participating communities have been encouraged to build their own houses using timbers that don't meet export grade standards. This improves housing in their villages. Cash income from timber sales has also been used to develop other areas such as water supply and sanitation, transport, schools, health and home gardens, which is helping to raise the health and nutrition of villagers.
Perhaps the most important benefit of the eco-forestry program is the re-emergence of the traditional communal approach of villagers working together. "Better understanding and good relationships between members in the communities is increasingly harmonious," according to Geoffrey Dennis, of the Solomon Islands Development Trust Eco-forestry Unit.
"This makes people to be more responsible for their own lives. Eco-forestry projects have been successful in providing an alternative solution to large-scale foreign-owned logging operations in the Solomon Islands and more people are becoming aware of the benefits eco-forestry provides," says Dennis.
The success of the Solomons' eco-forestry program highlights the distinct advantages of small/medium-scale village enterprises that directly benefits the people, their community and their land.
"In contrast with large-scale industrial enterprises, small-scale enterprises tended to produce benefits for a majority of the people involved. While the immediate economic benefits are not always great, over a period of three to four years, families and villages are seeing an incremental and continuous trickle of benefits. With good management they realize they can provide them-selves with consistent improvement income.
"A major benefit reported by all people involved in these small-scale enterprises is a sense of advantage over people who sold their logging rights. They are highly aware of the need to retain their basic resources and what the loss of those resources might mean having seen the outcomes in logged villages."
At the consumer end of the market Peter Mussett from The Woodage timber merchants in Mittagong, NSW says the Solomons' eco-timber is excellent quality and ideal for furniture and joinery.
"I know I can market eco-timber if it has reputable 'Chain of Custody' credentials such as Forest Stewardship Council certification," says Mussett. The Woodage is the first accredited Australian timber merchant to supply timbers with a 'Chain of Custody' under FSC guidelines. This 'Chain of Custody' is monitored by an independent third party and guarantees the authenticity of the original source of the timber. It also guarantees that the timber comes from well-managed forests that meet agreed global standards.
The final word is best expressed by Reedle Gebe, project manager of the Lobi Village Eco-forestry Project:
"How I see it from our perspective is that eco-forestry is much better than logging. I prefer eco-forestry because it does not spoil our sea, land, rivers and water catchment."
