A coalition of Indigenous and human rights groups are hoping new European Union trade regulations could help pressure timber and oil palm industries in Malaysia’s Sarawak state into respecting Indigenous land rights and implementing better land-use consent practices. The international NGO Human Rights Watch and several Sarawak-based organizations say in a new report that rapid deforestation caused by Sarawak’s timber and oil palm businesses should warrant all forestry products from Sarawak being labeled “high risk” under the EU’s Deforestation-Free Product Regulations, or EUDR. This designation would mean elevated scrutiny and a higher rate of inspections on commodities from the state imported into the EU. Companies in Sarawak have already taken some steps to participate in sustainability certification programs for the timber and palm oil industries, but the terms are voluntary with few repercussions. The EUDR, in contrast, introduces a punishment for not following good practices: missing out on the lucrative European market. The EU launched its new policy for accepting global forestry products in the European market last June, replacing the previous EU Timber Regulations. The process includes several steps, labeling countries and regions as “low,” “standard” or “high” risk depending on the rate of forest loss and the drivers of deforestation in a particular area. Operators and traders who want to export to the EU must prove their products are deforestation-free or be restricted from the European market. Exporters must also prove their commodities are produced in conditions that respect human rights and comply with local land-use laws and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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