WARSI WWF Joint Report: Monitoring SVLK in PT WKS and PT LAJ Jambi :

The Indonesia Conservation Group (Kelompok Konservasi Indonesia) WARSI that based in Jambi and WWF-Indonesia conducted joint investigation in October 2014 to June 2015 related to the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS/SVLK) performance of two management units in Jambi Province, namely PT. Wirakarya Sakti (WKS), a timber supplier of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) / Sinarmas Group, and PT Lestari Asri Jaya (LAJ), a rubber plantation supplier of Barito Pacific Group. 

The investigation team found some findings that allegedly breach regulation and the team questioned integrity of SVLK certificates granted to the both management units. Analysis conducted by KKI Warsi and WWF-Indonesia finds there are gaps between scores that gained by management units through SVLK certificates and the condition on the ground that the monitoring groups, Warsi and WWF-ID, observed independently.

The investigation by these two organizations jointly conducted from October 2014 to June 2015.     

After several months monitoring operations of PT. WKS District 8 and PT. LAJ related to SVLK implementation performance of both management units that associated to APP and Barito Pacific groups respectively, some facts on the ground were found and concluded: alleged breach against SVLK rules might occur.     

Some field findings indicate violation of SVLK due to the company’s own operation.  Some of the findings are related to latent social conflict (encroachment by settlers along APP corridor road) and human rights violation that resulted to the murder of Indra Pelani, a farmer from Sekato Jaya farmer group of Lubuk Mandrasah Village) around PT. WKS District VIII.  Some operation also found to cause ecological destruction in the area.   

While illegal logging in the management unit of PT. LAJ shows there is weakness in the TLAS/SVLK assessment that heavily focus on fulfilling documents.  There is social conflict outbreak found by monitoring team and the conflict is painted with brutal murder by security guards of management unit that cannot be ignored by SVLK stakeholders.  SVLK should be on the side of humanity and not only rely on sheets of formal paper.  

The SVLK performance monitoring to management units in Jambi is effort to improve the quality of the system especially in certification process, even though independent monitoring organization has difficulty to analyse in detail due to limited access and information related to certification of the management unit.