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Green Forest Product & Tech Pte. Ltd.'s two Exclusive Suppliers Of Mangrove Timber Products Obtained FSC(R) 100% Forest Management Certificates

SINGAPORE, June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Forest Product & Tech Pte. Ltd. today announced that two of its exclusive suppliers of mangrove timber product, PT Kandelia Alam (PT KliA) and PT Bina Ovivipari Semesta (PT BiOS), based in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, have obtained the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) 100% Forest Management (FM) certification on 18/05/2015.

This is a historical achievement, as it is a first for any "Natural" Forest Management Enterprise in South East Asia that serves the pulp and paper industry. This is also the first FSC® 100% FM certification ever awarded to a Mangrove Forest management enterprise worldwide. FSC® 100% FM certification requires the most stringent sustainability principles to be met, and obtaining this certification helped verify PT KliA and PT BiOS forest management practices. Both companies supply mangrove woodchips for the pulp and paper Industry through PT Bina Silva Nusa (PT BSN) chipmill of Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, that has previously obtained the FSC® Chain of Custody certification. PT BiOS also produces high grade mangrove "binchotan" charcoal to export to Japan.

"We congratulate PT Kandelia Alam and PT Bina Ovivipari Semesta for their achievement. This also proves that it is possible for mid-size FMEs to achieve our stringent criteria for FSC® 100% FM certification," said Hartono Prabowo, Representative for FSC® Indonesia.

Both companies, with a combined total of 28,220 hectares of land, were certified with the help of Asia Pacific Consulting Solutions (APCS) acting as a group manager and WWF/GFTN as a partner, with funding from The Borneo Initiative. Green Forest was actively involved in various facets of the certification process.

"From the management of PT KliA and PT BiOS, we would like to thank TBI, APCS, and WWF/GFTN for the tremendous amount of money and technical resources. Without them, we would not be able to accomplish this. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our customer, Green Forest Product & Tech, for driving us and believing we can achieve this landmark certification," Ir Fairus Mulia, President Director of PT KliA, stated.

Wim Ellenbroek, Programme Director of The Borneo Initiative, commented, "Our mission is to promote certified forest management as a way to end forest degradation and deforestation. This cooperation with PT BiOS and PT KliA is proof that sustainable production and nature conservation can be combined to preserve range area for endangered species such as proboscis monkeys. We greatly respect the tremendous effort that the management of PT BiOS and PT KliA put into certified forest management, thereby preserving range area for the endangered proboscis monkeys, one of the high conservation values in Borneo that we hope to protect with our funding program."

WWF Indonesia has engaged both companies since 2011, first through the proboscis monkey population identification within the mangrove forest under both PT KliA's and PT BiOS' concessions. Afterward, support has been given by WWF Indonesia through the Global Forest Trade Network (GFTN) program in helping implement the best management practices that encompass forest planning, the High Conservation Value Forest assessment and its management plan with extensive monitoring of biodiversity, especially on the endangered proboscis monkey. Joko Sarjito, GFTN Indonesia Manager, added, "We have proven that conservation management to protect the proboscis monkey habitat can be an integral part of mangrove harvesting activities. By obtaining the FSC® 100% FM certificate, the forest management system on both concessions is sustainable and can support and protect the endemic habitat of the proboscis monkey."

"As a buyer and the largest exporter of mangrove products for the last 45 years, we are very proud to see that our suppliers were able to meet such a difficult challenge to ensure sustainable utilization of this wonderful resource and its relevant ecosystem. With FSC® 100% FM certification, we hope to enlarge the market for mangrove products worldwide. The economic gain from sustainable use can be invested back into protecting the mangrove forest and ensuring the survival of endangered species," Muljadi Tantra, CFO and Deputy Managing Director, commented.

Mangrove related products have been undervalued and perceived by many to be environmentally unfriendly. This is largely due to the bad practices in the 1960s and 1970s, where most concessions clear-cut the forest without any consideration for regeneration or ecological impact. There were around 15 mangrove FMEs in Indonesia in the late '70s. Today, only 3 mangrove FMEs still exist in Indonesia, all under the exclusive supply agreement with Green Forest.

The two concessions proved that mangrove forests can be sustainably utilized, and they have achieved such a high accolade in the form of this FSC® 100% FM certificate.  There is hope that a policy toward sustainable natural forest utilization will be encouraged, as opposed to unsustainable conversion to aquacultures or plantations that were the primary cause of mangrove deforestation throughout South East Asia. Indonesia still has approximately 3 million hectares of highly productive mangrove forest left, some of which play an important role in providing ecosystem services. It should be in everyone's interest to maintain or even enlarge mangrove areas through rehabilitation, sustainable use, combined with the right conservation polices, while avoiding unsustainable conversion altogether.

Contact:
Muljadi Tantra 
+65-6221-6682
multantra@mangrove4est.com 
Green Forest Product & Tech. Pte. Ltd.
Trademark License Code: FSC-C118061

Source: Green Forest Product & Tech Pte. Ltd.
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