A Report on the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme - Rengah ...

Comment: It is noteworthy that several important criteria have been dropped in this version of
the MC&I (2001), although they were listed in the previous 1999 version. These include:
· The safeguarding of genetic diversity. 8 Including this criterion could have implications for
national and states’ efforts in the fields of genetic-resource prospecting and conservation.
· The defining and documenting of off-site catchment value before harvesting, and the defining,
demarcation and protection of drainage systems before harvesting (NTCC 1999).
· ‘Monitoring and Evaluation – assessing changes in the water quality of streams emerging
from production forests as compared with streams emerging from the same forest type kept
free from human intervention’. This omission undermines the welfare of local and downstream
communities and burdens them with an unfair health risk and reduced economic opportunity as
a result of reduced aqua production.
· The ‘Forest Ecosystem Health and Condition’ criterion is omitted completely. As road-building
has increased access to the forest concession areas, so human activities (such as illegal
exploitation, hunting, agriculture and encroachment) need to be monitored. This is also the
case for threats, both natural and human-induced. The most potent of these is forest fire during
the dry season – often caused by using burning as a convenient means of land clearance (such
as during the conversion of forest to plantation or by swidden agriculture) and which is becoming
of increasing concern nationwide. There is also the potential threat of pests and diseases
as a result of the use of monoculture or of genetically engineered crop or tree species on
adjacent plantations. Despite warnings of the possible harm from exotic species such as Acacia
mangium (Ng et al. 2002), this criterion has also been taken out of the MC&I.
Standards levels
The certification standards are set at national level. However, the Standards of Performance are
applied according to the regional and/or state laws and regulations of the three regions (Peninsular
Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak). Some of these are relevant at a national level; some at regional
level; while others are relevant at the level of the FMU (Sandom & Simula 2001:34).
The standards are formulated in a broad way, covering the elements of sustainable forest management
(SFM). The indicators and Standards of Performance demand extensive guidelines, planning
and monitoring data. However, the objectives of these management standards remain unclear and
unstated at the level of the criterion (Sandom & Simula 2001:33).
The MC&I is characterised by a number of input-oriented requirements that specify the
existence of guidelines, regulations, or look for specific data on the level of accomplishment
(e.g., the degree of participation in forest management or the extent of a protected
area). But few indicators or Standards of Performance state the minimum performance level
required for an operation to be compliant (Sandom & Simula 2001:34).
A study commissioned by the MTCC and FSC – the Assessment of Compatibility of MC&I with FSC
Requirements – highlighted the need for improvements to the MC&I. It suggests strengthening the
relationship between indicators and Standards of Performance in the MC&I and also proposes additional
explicit elements for the application of the MC&I to plantations (MTCC 2002a).
As regards coordinating with other national, regional and international bodies dealing with timber
certification, in order to facilitate cooperation and mutual recognition, the MTCC has held discussions
with the FSC since 1999. An outcome of this effort was the drafting of FSC-compatible Malaysian
Criteria and Indicators (MC&I) for Forest Management Certification [MC&I(FSC)]. These were adopted
at the MTCC national-level consultation in October 2002. The document sets out the FSC Principles
and Indicators together with the corresponding indicators and Standards of Performance of the MC&I.