Entry Point :
Public Domain
Status :
Transferred to Post Investigation Monitoring
Details :
Investigation and Monitoring Unit (IMU) has investigated the allegations that were published on:
- Global Forest Watch (GFW) Blog – Places to Watch: 3 Forests Experiencing Rapid Clearing Right Now. This article reported illegal land clearing in PT Permata Putra Mandiri (PPM), a subsidiary of PT ANJT.
- Chain Reaction Research – The Chain: Austindo Nusantara Jaya Subsidiary First to Violate New RSPO Standards on Annex 5: Transition of HCV to HCV-HCS Assessment. This article reported land clearing in PT Putera Manunggal Perkasa (PMP), a subsidiary of PT ANJT.
Findings :
The key findings from the completion of the investigation are:
- Inconsistency in landscape conservation and development plans
- Based on the investigation, there are discrepancies with regards to the conservation and development plans shared with RSPO. The plans have been shared on three different occasions: 2 February 2018, 25 October 2018 and 30 November 2018. The landscape plans are inconsistent and have not been finalised, as PT ANJT claims it to be a “working draft” or a “living document”. Also, there are noticeable changes in the maps prepared by PT ANJT, and this could create doubts on the areas mapped for conservation and planting, and consequently, the efficacy of the operational and management plan. The clearing of areas set aside as conservation areas in the map provided to RSPO in February 2018, compounded by the failure to self-disclose the clearance prior to reports published on media warrants a strict corrective action.
- Transition from HCV to HCV - HCS assessment with regards to the new RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) 2018
- The Chain Reaction Research article reported that PT PMP has done land clearing right after the new P&C was approved. Both PT PPM and PT PMP fall within the legacy HCV cases, whereby: HCV assessments were conducted using RSPO approved assessors, and PT ANJT followed the NPP 2010 procedures.
Therefore, IMU is not able to retrospect the Annex 5 within this context. Discussions on addressing issues such as these will be looked at collectively and separately, and a decision will be made by the first quarter of 2019 on how pre-ALS assessments fit into the Annex 5 requirement.
Based on these findings, IMU recommends for this case to remain under IMU’s purview and PT ANJT is required to complete the action plan within the given timeframe. The case is officially transferred from investigation desk to monitoring desk for post-investigation monitoring upon submission of investigation letter to PT ANJT on 14 December 2018.
Chronology of event:
| Date |
Progress Update |
| 28 September 2018 |
RSPO Secretariat's CEO requested for an investigation based on the basis of an allegation that was published by GFW which reported an illegal land clearing in PT Permata Putra Mandiri (PPM), a subsidiary of PT ANJT. |
| 29 September 2018 |
The IMU initiated its initial desktop review on the allegations reported in the GFW Blog. |
| 25 October 2018 |
The IMU escalated initial findings to CEO and relevant Secretaries |
| 25 October 2018 |
PT ANJT sent an official email to RSPO specifically responding on the allegations published by GFW and requested for a meeting to be convened as soon as possible to further clarify and to come out with practical solutions. |
| 8 November 2018 |
A physical meeting was held in RSPO KL Office, attended by IMU, Geetha, Kishokumar Jeyaraj and Norleen Lowrans (consultants). The meeting concluded that PT ANJT is required to submit additional documents and mapping evidence to the IMU for the purpose of investigation based on the allegations. |
| 22 November 2018 |
The IMU requested a response from PT ANJT in regards to the allegations by Chain Reaction Research report of PT ANJT claimed forest clearing taking place and violated the P&C requirements after the new P&C was adopted. |
| 23 November 2018 |
PT ANJT provided a short response which clarified that PT PMP had been caught in between the P&C 2013 and 2018's transition phase and additionally highlighted legacy issues that are still pending for solutions. |
| 23 November 2018 |
The IMU sent a reminder via email requesting the required documents to be submitted by 26 November 2018. |
| 27 November 2018 |
PT ANJT submitted the first parcel of documents to the IMU. |
| 30 November 2018 |
PT ANJT submitted the second parcel of documents to the IMU. |
| 4 December 2018 |
PT ANJT submitted the third parcel of documents to the IMU. |
| 14 December 2018 |
The IMU officially communicated key findings and action plan for PT ANJT to implement for the next three months. Any unsatisfactory implementation of the above-mentioned action plans could result in the case being lodged as a formal complaint by the Secretariat as per the RSPO Complaints and Appeal Procedures. The official investigation letter response to PT ANJT can be viewed here. |
