A new report by Deltares commissioned by Wetlands International conclude that plantations in Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, are not sustainable and economically unviable due to subsidence, drainage and flood problems.

Giant pulp and paper company, Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL), prepared a new restoration project to work on the heavily degraded peatlands in Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, Sumatra. Last month Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) banned the company to associate the giant’s products with the certification agency.

Despite a restoration program organized by a company affiliated to pulp giant in Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, launched and endorsed by the Ministry of Forestry, environmentalists criticized it as a manuoevre by wo-faced company which merely seek benefit from credit carbon scheme.

Eyes on the Forest coalition released a new report on Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) today saying “APRIL’s public commitment to sustainable and natural fiber free operations after 2009 was pure sales talk; green-washing to win back customers who had left the company due to its dismal sustainability record.”

Non governmental organizations and civil society group network to rescue natural forest in Riau, Jikalahari, denounced Pelalawan District Head for ignoring community’s proposal to manage communal forest in Kampar Peninsula and critized his favoritism to pulp giant’s “greenwashing” project.

Police planned to disperse residents of Padang island whom staged rallies and had been staying near House of Representatives’ compound in Jakarta for one month as eight hospitalized and one treated in a mental hospital.

International consultants Tropenbos will facilitate a public consultation for a High Conservation Value (HCV) assessment for the APRIL pulp and paper operations in the Kampar Peninsula, Riau, Sumatra. This follows a similar consultation in Riau in February that was not attended by Riau based NGOs. For the same - and following - reasons, Greenpeace will not participate in this public consultation.

Civil society organizations in Riau Province: Jikalahari, Walhi Riau, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Riau, Transparansi Internasional Indonesia (TII), Kantor Bantuan Hukum (KBH) Riau and Hakiki urge the Government of Indonesia to revoke concession license of PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper (RAPP) in Kampar Peninsula due to it threatens unique ecosystem in the world.

PEKANBARU (EoF News)— Siak District Administration has reportedly warned an Asia Pulp & Paper affiliated company, PT Arara Abadi, who built canals in Kampar Peninsula forest block as it is allegedly against the Environment Law, a daily newspaper reported Tuesday (20/5/2008).

The road would allow APP and affiliated companies to restart clearance of natural forest and destruction of deep peat soil at any time in a globally recognized conservation area, according to Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of local NGO network Jikalahari, Walhi Riau, and WWF-Indonesia. The Kampar peninsula is one of the world’s largest contiguous tropical peat swamp forests, with more carbon per hectare than any other ecosystem on Earth.

In an investigative report published today by Eyes on the Forest, evidence shows that a new logging road in Riau Province -- strongly indicated as illegally built by companies connected to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) -- is cutting into the heart of Sumatra’s largest contiguous peatland forest, a rare hydrological ecosystem that acts as one of the planet’s biggest carbon stores.

Riau NGOs Network for Forest Rescue (Jikalahari), University of Riau and representatives of 3 sub-districts in Kampar Peninsula today call for a halt to conversion of peatland-rich forests in the region to avoid escalating carbon (CO2) release.

Pekanbaru (EoF News) – Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of three environmental NGOs in Riau, Sumatra releases its Investigative Report September & October 2006 today. The EoF Investigation found Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL) to be involved in forest clearance operations in two concessions in the Kampar Peninsula forest block. EoF considers these operations illegal as well as destroying potential High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) despite APRIL’s own publicly announced policy to protect HCVFs.

A new WWF monitoring report released today reveals that Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), one of the world’s largest paper and pulp companies, is going to destroy one of the most delicate of all remaining ecosystems in Indonesia - the peat swamp forests of Kampar Peninsula in Sumatra.

Jakarta, Hamburg, Helsinki, London, April 19, 2006 Hutan Gambut Sumatera Terancam Musnah, Harus Dilindungi

Pekanbaru, Indonesia (EoF News, May 27, 2005) - New investigations by Eyes on the Forest reveal continued forest destruction in APRIL's concession area. At least 216 hectare of natural peat swamp forest have recently been opened and have brought illegal loggers and squatters to the area.