Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) is pleased to announce the launch of the Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management (MC&I SFM) as the certification standard for sustainable management of natural forest and forest plantation under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS). The MC&I SFM replaces the MC&I (Natural Forest) and MC&I Forest Plantation.v2 standards and will come into force on 1 January 2021.
The MC&I SFM was formulated by a 15-member multi-stakeholder Standards Review Committee (SRC) through an extensive process held from 2015 to 2019 to review the MC&I(NaturalForest), incorporating requirements of the MC&I Forest Plantation.v2 as well as PEFC Benchmark Standard on Sustainable Forest Management. The SRC comprised equal number of members representing indigenous peoples, workers union, environmental and economic stakeholder groups, as well as relevant government agencies from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. A total of five SRC meetings, two public comments and three regional stakeholder consultations, one each in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur were conducted.
What are the major changes?
While maintaining the overall structure of the current forest management standards, MC&I SFMcontains streamlined requirements of the MC&I(Natural Forest) and MC&I Forest Plantation.v2, with the requirements under Principle 10 of MC&I Forest Plantation.v2 incorporated into the relevant requirements in Principles 1 to 9. Additional requirements included in the MC&I SFM are as follow:.
- ‘conversion of severely degraded forest to forest plantation’ which contains provision for establishing forest plantation on severely degraded forest (Criterion 6.11);
- ‘afforestation of ecologically important non-forest ecosystems’ which prohibits the establishment of forest plantation on ecologically important non-forest ecosystems after 31 December 2010 (Criterion 6.12);
- clear communication of claims for products from certified area (Appendix B);
- inclusion of additional reference to international conventions and treaties i.e. ILONo. 169: Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 1989 and ConventionConcerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage 1972 (Criterion1.3); and
- incorporation of an interpretation for requirements on implementing internal audit, management review and continual improvement (Appendix A).
While similar requirements have been streamlined, differentiations have been made in requirements that apply specifically to either natural forest or forest plantation. Therefore, applicants of MTCS forest management certification must clearly indicate the scope of certification of the forest management unit (FMU) whether it covers natural forest or forest plantation or both. Audit of the FMU will be conducted against the specific requirements covered by the scope of the FMU.
The MC&I SFM was approved by MTCC Board of Trustees at its 83rd Meeting held on 5 March 2020. During the nine-month transition period from the publication date of the standard on 1 April 2020 to the date of entry into force on 1 January 2021, MTCC will finalise the translation of the standard into Bahasa Melayu, conduct training for certification bodies and briefing sessions to relevant stakeholders on the requirements of the new standard.
Notwithstanding the above, the current situation related to Covid-19 outbreak is bound to cause disruptions in audit scheduling and affect relevant activities to be conducted by MTCC, including the application date of the standard set on 1 January 2021. Further announcement on this matter will be made in June 2020.
The standard is available for download and request for a hardcopy can be made by contacting Mr Melvin Ku at [email protected].
MC&I SFM – Standard Baharu Pensijilan SFM
Majlis Pensijilan Kayu Malaysia (MTCC) dengan berbesar hati melancarkan Kriteria dan Petunjuk Malaysia untuk PengurusanHutan Lestari (MC&I SFM), sebagai standard pensijilan bagi pengurusan lestari hutan asli dan ladang hutan di bawah Skim Pensijilan Kayu Malaysia (MTCS). MC&I SFM akan berkuat kuasa pada 1 Januari 2021 menggantikan standard MC&I(Hutan Asli) dan MC&I Ladang Hutan.v2.
MC&I SFM telah dirumuskan oleh Jawatankuasa Semakan Semula Standard (SRC) yang dianggotai oleh 15 anggota daripada pelbagai kumpulan berkepentingan melalui proses semakan semula MC&I(Hutan Asli) yang terperinci dan menyeluruh dari tahun 2015 hingga 2019 serta turut menggabungkan keperluan MC&I LadangHutan.v2 dan PEFC Benchmark Standard on Sustainable Forest Management. Keanggotaan SRC terdiri daripada wakil pihak berkepentingan dalam jumlah yang sama daripada kumpulan orang asli, kesatuan pekerja, alam sekitar dan ekonomi, serta agensi-agensi kerajaan yang berkaitan dari Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung Malaysia. Proses tersebut melibatkan lima sesi mesyuarat SRC, dua sesi komen awam dan tiga sesirundingan serantau bersama kumpulan pihak berkepentingan yang telah dijalankandi Kuching, Kota Kinabalu dan Kuala Lumpur.
Apakah perubahan utama dalam standard tersebut?
Struktur keseluruhan sedia ada standard pengurusan hutan dikekalkan. Namun begitu, MC&I SFM mengandungi keperluan-keperluan daripada MC&I(Hutan Asli) dan MC&I Ladang Hutan.v2 yang telah digabungkan, manakala keperluan di bawah Prinsip 10 dalam MC&I Ladang Hutan.v2 diselaraskan dalam Prinsip 1 hingga 9 yang berkaitan. Selain itu, beberapa keperluan tambahan dalam MC&I SFM adalah seperti berikut:
- ‘Penukaran hutan sangat terosot kepada ladang hutan’ yang mengandungi peruntukan bagi menubuhkan ladang hutan dalam kawasan hutan yang sangat terosot (Kriteria6.11);
- ‘Penghutanan ekosistem bukan hutan yang mengandungi kepentingan ekologi’ yang melarang penubuhan hutan dalam ekosistem bukan hutan yang penting dari segi ekologi selepas 31 Disember 2010 (Kriteria 6.12);
- Komunikasi yang lebih jelas tentang tuntutan berkaitan produk dari kawasan pensijilan (Lampiran B);
- Penambahan rujukan berkaitan konvensyen dan perjanjian antarabangsa seperti ILO No. 169: Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 1989 dan Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage 1972 (Kriteria1.3); dan
- Penambahan tafsiran bagi keperluan melaksanakan audit dalaman, penilaian pengurusan dan penambahbaikan secara berterusan (Lampiran A).
Meskipun keperluan yang sama bagi pensijilan hutan semula jadi dan ladang hutan telah diselaraskan, keperluan khusus bagi hutan asli atau ladang hutan masih dibezakan. Oleh yang demikian, pemohon bagi pensijilan pengurusan hutan MTCS perlu menyatakan dengan jelas skop pensijilan unit pengurusan hutan (FMU) mereka, sama ada ia merangkumi hutan asli, ladang hutan atau kedua-dua sekali. Audit FMU akan dilaksanakan terhadap keperluan-keperluan khusus yang termaktub di bawah skop FMU.
MC&I SFM telah diluluskan oleh Lembaga Pemegang Amanah MTCC dalam mesyuarat ke-83 yang telah diadakan pada 5 Mac 2020. Dalam tempoh peralihan selama sembilan (9) bulan dari tarikh penerbitan pada 1 April 2020 sehingga tarikh dikuatkuasakan pada 1 Januari 2021, MTCC akan memuktamadkan terjemahan standard ke Bahasa Melayu, menganjurkan latihan untuk badan-badan pensijilan serta menganjurkan sesi taklimat kepada kumpulan pihak berkepentingan yang berkaitan tentang keperluan yang ditetapkandi bawah standard baharu ini.
Namun begitu, situasi semasa penularan wabak Covid-19 dijangkakan akan mengganggu penjadualan audit serta pelbagai aktiviti persediaan yang telah dirancang oleh MTCC termasuklah tarikh pelaksanaan standard yang telah ditetapkan pada 1 Januari 2021. Sehubungan dengan itu, maklumat lanjut berkenaan tarikh pelaksanaan standard akan diumumkan pada bulan Jun2020.
Standard tersebut tersedia untuk dimuat turun manakala permohonan untuk salinan cetakan boleh dibuat dengan menghubungi Encik Melvin Ku menerusi alamat emel [email protected].