Environmentalists want probe on Sirim's forest management audits

Environmentalist group RimbaWatch has called for an investigation into the forest management audits conducted by Sirim QAS International.

This follows an in-depth inquiry carried out by RimbaWatch itself concerning the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) and the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS).

The group’s investigation alleged significant shortcomings and credibility gaps within Sirim’s forest management unit (FMU) audits in Perak.

In a statement yesterday, RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan also claimed that the study revealed the current systems of the MTCS and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) to be ineffective in supporting claims that the country’s forest management practices are sustainable.

The group’s findings are as follows:

• Sirim’s statements in audit reports regarding indigenous land rights misrepresented the situation on the ground. Sirim’s claims of the Perak Forestry Department’s support for indigenous land rights contradicted public statements by former Perak menteri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu and the demolition of anti-logging blockades during the same period.

• Sirim falsely asserted that there were no conflicts over indigenous land rights in the FMU between 2019 and 2022. However, during this time, multiple land rights conflicts, logging blockades and arrests of protesters were documented.

• Sirim inaccurately stated that there were no court cases against the Perak Forestry Department regarding customary land, whereas an ongoing case involving Cunex village had been filed in 2019.

• Sirim’s claim of no land rights conflicts in the FMU was based on visits to only five Orang Asli villages over three years of audits.

  Four other villages lodged complaints, acknowledged by Sirim, but their handling and verification remain undisclosed. Additionally, Sirim cancelled a site visit to a complaining village on the advice of the Perak Forestry Department, the very entity under audit.

• Despite satellite imagery showing conversion logging within the FMU, Sirim’s 2020 audit claimed no conversion for timber plantations had occurred.

Sirim’s audits contrary to MTCC

Based on the above findings, RimbaWatch made the assessment that Sirim’s audits do not sufficiently address indigenous land rights issues.

“Further, these audits essentially subscribed to the narrow government view that indigenous communities do not and cannot exercise land rights in the FMU.

“This is contrary to MTCC’s guidance, which states that ‘in addressing sustainability requirements, forest certification requires the FMU manager to take actions that may go beyond the mandate of the federal, state and local laws’,” the group said.

RimbaWatch has therefore called for an investigation into Sirim’s audits of forest management across Malaysia in the last decade by MTCC and the Department of Standards.

In addition, the group also urged a moratorium on PEFC’s endorsement of MTCS and called for the government to halt the import of MTCS timber until the identified issues are rectified.

Malaysiakini has reached out to Sirim for comments.

Earlier this year, Malaysiakini highlighted that logging activities in Perak had surged in 2019, a period during which the MTCS was implemented to provide a sustainable approach towards the logging sector, ensure environmental sustainability, and safeguard indigenous communities.

However, indigenous people themselves revealed their lack of trust in the MTCS as villagers from Kampung Lawai and Kampung Chang Lama in Perak suffered from logging activities.

The report also noted that Sirim QAS International was the auditor for MTCS in Perak.

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