FSC Indonesia held a press conference for a large group of journalists in Jakarta, on Wednesday July 8th. The conference, supported by IDH, aimed to raise Indonesian public awareness on the issues around forest management and deforestation.
FSC representative Hartono Prabowo informed the media, of which many larger Indonesian and some international media, about the benefits of certification. “An FSC label on a product is a symbol that states the product is produced from forests managed responsibly both environmentally and socially.” As Mr. Prabowo explained, this means keeping into account biodiversity conservation, carbon emission reduction, rehabilitation, and the rights of indigenous peoples, forest communities, while still considering market access for companies.
IDH program officer on Pulp and Paper in Indonesia, Aris Wanjaya, says that raising awareness on sustainable consumption at such events is important to tackle deforestation straight from the source: “Indonesia is one of the main areas where deforestation occurs. It is expected that in the near future the amount of hectares of FSC certified forest production and forest products in Indonesia will increase. This will lead to a more sustainable forest management and ultimately to more sustainable trade.”