Today marks two years since Asia Pulp and Paper (APP)
abruptly changed course, silenced its bulldozers and announced a
groundbreaking Forest Conservation Policy. For decades, the Indonesian
logging giant had been one of the globe’s most notorious threats to
rainforests and forest communities - taking over and mowing down tens
of thousands of acres a year to produce wood pulp for books, copy
paper, tissue and packaging.
 But after steady years of nonstop pressure from RAN and
other groups, we achieved one of the most dramatic shifts in corporate
policy ever. APP’s Forest Conservation Policy has the potential to
impact millions of acres of some of the most culturally and
biologically diverse landscapes in the world -- and it would never
have happened without the steadfast perseverance of supporters like
you.
So THANK YOU once again!
But at Rainforest Action
Network, we know that promises, especially of the corporate variety,
can be broken.
So over the past two years, we have
remained vigilant and active behind the scenes, working hard to turn
paper promises into real change on the ground. Our goal is not a
corporate PR moment, but real positive impact on the lives of local
communities in Indonesia, and the protection of crucial habitat for
endangered wildlife like the Sumatran tiger, elephant and orangutan.
Working with Indonesian and other allies, our efforts have resulted in
an improved process for conflict resolution with local communities, a
commitment to effectively restore over two million acres of degraded
forests, and we are still fighting for improvements and greater
transparency throughout APP’s implementation process.
Just
last month, RAN released an in-depth report on APP’s progress. Along
with 10 allied organizations - including 9 based in Indonesia - this
on-the-ground research consulted 17 Indonesian communities directly
impacted by APP - and the results reveal significant policy
implementation problems. Our report offers detailed recommendations
for how APP can properly address hundreds of unresolved land conflicts
remaining in its concessions, Just today the company has released an
action plan outlining its response to our concerns and a third party
performance evaluation of APP that we helped secure.
While
we will continue to hold APP accountable, RAN also directly supports
frontline communities living with the historic impact of APP’s
deforestation. Our Protect-an-Acre program provides crucial grants
that go directly to the local organizations and community groups
working on these issues - groups like Yayasan Wahana Bumi Hijau (WBH)
which recently supported villagers to successfully negotiate an
agreement with APP to return 24,000 acres of their traditional lands
to community stewardship. This story is just one of many, many more -
please
visit the Protect an Acre site to learn more and to pledge your
support directly to the frontline communities that need it
most.
You
can download the latest RAN report on APP’s Social Responsibility
Commitments.
Thank you for making this
possible - and please help us keep up the pressure in 2015 and
beyond.
 For the
Planet,
Lindsey Allen
Executive Director
http://www.ran.org/
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