Wellington, 5 April 2005

The forest industries of Malaysia and New Zealand, as represented by the Malaysian Timber Council and the New Zealand Forest Industries Council and the New Zealand Forest Owners Association, ("the industries") met in Wellington, New Zealand on 5 April 2005.

The industries are united in the belief that profitable and competitive forest sectors working in accordance with domestic legislative and regulatory frameworks contribute actively to national economic, environmental and social well-being. This positive contribution is undermined by activities that do not conform to sustainable forest management, such as illegal logging. The industries therefore condemn such activities and commit to work to find solutions to help those countries affected to overcome the problem.

Such activities not only contribute to deforestation but also threaten the viability of legally harvested and traded forest products and are a serious detriment to forest sustainability. The environmental destruction caused by illegal logging creates negative perceptions of the forest products industry in general.

Forest law enforcement is the responsibility of domestic authorities and addressing it at international level raises issues of national sovereignty and interpretation.  Recognising that solutions to illegal logging are likely to be multi-faceted and require different approaches in different countries, the industries urge their governments to co-ordinate closely their respective national policies and approaches with other likeminded countries. Noting that open international markets contribute to the promotion of sustainable forest management, the industries recommend that governments should resist the temptation to use inappropriate trade measures to respond to the problem of illegal logging.

In this regard the industries felt that all practical steps should be taken to promote sustainable forest management according to internationally agreed principles and to support the conservation of forest areas which have been designated for protection by law. The industries also agreed to continue to support the development of voluntary and credible forest certification systems which can address the problems associated with illegal logging.

The industries welcomed the announcement of the negotiation of a free trade agreement between Malaysia and New Zealand which will provide opportunities for further consultation on sustainable forest management.