The Eleventh Hour for Riau’s Forests: Two Global Pulp and Paper Companies Will Decide Their Fate

Posted on 03 June 2006 |

This background document provides an overview of the state of the forests in Sumatra's Riau province. It documents the province’s rapid rate of forest loss over the last two decades associated with the expansion of two industries – paper and palm oil. The report illustrates how Riau's pulp and paper industry, dominated by the two multi-national companies APP and APRIL, is the driving force behind this forest loss.

The report concludes with a call for a ‘precautionary approach’ to further forest clearing in Riau. It recommends that no natural forest areas should be cleared without prior assessments that identify “high conservation values” and outline measures needed to protect those values. Such measures are urgently needed to protect Riau’s last remaining forests and the tigers and elephants they support.

WWF and local NGO partners are continuously monitoring the environmental performance of APRIL and APP. WWF Indonesia is issuing periodic “Monitoring Briefs” on the activities of the two companies, including their contribution to the protection or loss of forest conservation values in Riau.