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FINDING A FUTURE FOR ALL
AUSTRALIA'S STAKE IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC'S FORESTS
By David Kaimowitz*

Mention forests in Australia and the mental compass of most Australians will point south to Tasmania . But it’s to the north of Australia where the country’s national interest and forests most intersect – in the tropical rainforests of the Asia-Pacific.

Unlike ever before, the region needs Australia’s forestry expertise. Unlike ever before,forestry is now vitally important to Australia and the region’s peace and prosperity. Not surprisingly, these issues feature highly at a major international conference on “Forests,Wood and Livelihoods” hosted by the Crawford Fund in Canberra this week.

Forests make a huge contribution to reducing poverty in the developing economies on Australia’s doorstep. In the Solomons, half the country’s export revenue comes from forests. In Indonesia,the figure in 2004 was 13 percent – more than double the amount it Received in foreign aid.

For PNG, the figure is $170 million annually, which is a tidy sum for a population of 5.5 million. Regrettably, most of this money goes to Malaysian logging companies with little interest in PNG’s Development.

Each of these countries benefit significantly from Australia’s generosity, either in the form of taxpayers’ aid dollars, technical assistance or military support. And in each of these countries,the future of forests looks shaky at best.

If forestry no longer provides jobs and income to the needy – whether due to overharvesting, illegal logging, fires, conflict or simply bad management – regional stability will suffer and dependency on Australian aid may increase.

Much of Australia’s aid focuses on helping governments become more efficient,transparent and accountable – the hallmarks of good governance. And yet for much of the region, forests are synonymous with the exact opposite – bribery, tax evasion and human rights abuse. It is no wonder Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared fighting illegal logging as one of his Government’s top priorities along with eradicating corruption. For him it is not just a question of a few billion dollars in unpaid taxes. It is about establishing the rule of law and attracting international investors. It is about improving his nation’s reputation, providing jobs, reducing poverty and, ultimately,ensuring social stability.