Council: Logging in Kelantan not checked since March

KUALA LUMPUR: Logging activities in Kelantan has gone unchecked since March after the country’s leading timber certification organisation suspended auditing there.

The Malaysian Timber Certifi­ca­tion Council claimed the state authorities and loggers had failed to adhere to international standards and guidelines for forest management.

The council said the move came about after the parties did not respond to major non-conformity corrective recommendations.

As a result, all logs originating from the state after March were not certified under the international Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, making it harder for concessionaires to export these logs to foreign countries.

Johor is another state with a similar suspension since January.

However, a council spokesman clarified that logging activities were still deemed legal even without certification as long as a permit was issued by the state government.

According to the spokesman, the certification system was vital for due diligence practices in logging to ensure minimal environmental, safety and social impacts to the forest.

Among some of the international guidelines use by auditors to review logging activities here include the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Article 1 to 10 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the International Labour Organisation Conventions.

It also examines social impacts of logging under the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is pertinent now due to the recent Gua Musang standoff between villagers and loggers.