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For Immediate Release
Groups Seek Trade Sanctions Against Malaysia for Orangutan-Deadly Logging
Smuggled Timber Hurts Orangutans, Tigers, Elephants
WASHINGTON -- Environmental groups today formally requested the Bush Administration to impose trade sanctions against the government of Malaysia in response to that country's role in illegal logging that is driving endangered orangutans, tigers and other species toward rapid extinction. The organizations petitioned Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton under the Pelly Amendment, which authorizes the President to impose trade sanctions against any foreign country whose nationals are found to be undermining international measures to protect endangered species.
The 'Pelly petition,' signed by the Environmental Investigation Agency, Defenders of Wildlife, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club and the Orangutan Foundation International, points to evidence of widespread involvement by Malaysian citizens and companies in smuggling huge volumes of illegal ramin wood onto world markets from Indonesia, where it is being illegally cut in national parks and protected areas. These areas provide the most important remaining habitats for the world's dwindling orangutan populations, and 125 other globally threatened species, including the Sumatran tiger and Asian elephant. Illegal logging threatens to drive many of these species into extinction. Experts predict orangutans could disappear from the earth in as little as a decade if illegal logging and other threats aren't reversed.
"Malaysian nationals are smuggling illegal Indonesian hardwood in huge quantities." said Carroll Muffett, Director of International Programs for Defenders, "Malaysian officials know that CITES is being violated and they have no intention of stopping it. We're asking the President to close our market to this illegal wood and protect U.S. consumers from unwitting involvement in this destructive trade."
Ramin is a valuable, blond hardwood in high demand for baby cribs, picture frames and pool cues in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. It is listed on Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)-the orangutan is listed on Appendix I. As a condition of export, CITES requires exporting countries to provide proof that the ramin being shipped actually originated in the exporting country. Malaysia and Indonesia provide the only habitats for ramin, and Indonesia has banned export of its ramin logs since 2001. A recent report by EIA and the Indonesian NGO Telepak documents how illegal Indonesian ramin is being laundered through Malaysia onto global markets, accompanied by papers falsely declaring the wood to be of Malaysian origin. This illegal trade is going on in plain view of Malaysian authorities, who have refused to support the CITES controls or take needed actions to stop the trade.
Muffett believes the trade measures are urgently needed to save the orangutan. "Orangutan strongholds like Indonesia's Tanjung Puting National Park are being logged on a massive scale. Huge sections of the forest have been turned into virtual moonscapes compared to the wealth of life that once existed there. If the logging isn't stopped, we will be the last generation to see this remarkable species in the wild."
Under the Pelly Amendment, the Secretary must investigate the allegations in the petition and promptly decide whether actions by Malaysian nationals are "diminishing the effectiveness" of international programs for the protection of endangered species, such as CITES. If the Secretary determines that these international programs are being undermined, she must certify that fact to the President, who will then have 60 days to impose trade sanctions on Malaysia or else explain to Congress why sanctions are not appropriate.
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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 450,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.
