MALAYSIAN TIMBER Doc. Number: AD 34-02 CERTIFICATION SCHEME: Version Date: 01 February 2013 MC&I(NATURAL FOREST) (ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS) Page: 1 of 15 MALAYSIAN TIMBER CERTIFICATION SCHEME PUBLIC SUMMARY OF RECERTIFICATION AUDIT OF TERENGGANU FOREST MANAGEMENT UNIT AGAINST THE REQUIREMENTS OF MC&I(NATURAL FOREST) Public Summary Date: 4 March 2016 Project Number: MY02661 Client: Terengganu State Forestry Department Web Page: http://trgforestry.terengganu.gov.my/ Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Terengganu Tingkat 8, Wisma Negeri Address: 20200 Kuala Terengganu Terengganu Country: Malaysia Certificate Number. SGS-MTCS/FM-0103 Certificate Type: Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme Date of Issue: 1st April 2013 Date of Expiry: 31 March 2016 Forest Zone: Tropical Scope: Forest Management of 522,400.77 ha of Permanent Reserved Forest in Terengganu State for the production of timber. Total Certified Area: 522,400.77 ha Contact Person: Dato’ Haji Azmi bin Nordin - State Director of Forestry Tel: +6(09)-6222 444 Fax +6(09)-623 6552 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected] Recertification Audit 17-21 May 2015 Date: Audit Team: Abdul Haye Semail (Lead Auditor) Dr. Savinder Kaur (Auditor) Mohd Faisal Jaafar (Auditor) Mohd Saifuddin Rozlan (Auditor) SGS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., No.26, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla 31/93, Kota Kemuning, 40460 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA CONTACT PERSON: Abdul Haye Semail - Tel: +6 (03)5121 2320 - Fax: +6 (03)5122 5927 AD 34-02 Page 2 of 15 INTRODUCTION The Terengganu Forest Management Unit (FMU) has been certified under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) since 2001; first under the Malaysian Criteria, Indicators, Activities and Standards of Performance (MC&I) for Forest Management Certification or in short MC&I(2001) and thereafter under the Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification or in short [MC&I(2002)]. The Terengganu FMU managed by the Terengganu State Forestry Department was issued with a forest management certificate (SGS/MTCS/FM-0103) under the requirements of the MC&I(2002) after a Stage 2 Audit which was conducted in November 2009. The certificate issued was valid for three years from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2013. The Recertification Audit for the FMU against the requirement of the newly adopted MC&I(Natural Forest) was conducted on 9-13 September 2012 where subsequently the FMU was issued the new certificate with a validity from April 2013 to March 2016. During this certification cycle, two Surveillance Audits were conducted for the FMU under the new MC&I(Natural Forest) i.e. Surveillance 01 Audit on 02-05 September 2013 and Surveillance 02 Audit on 02- 05 June 2014. Following to the Surveillances and in view that the FMU is due for another Recertification Audit, the Recertification Audit has been scheduled and conducted on 17-21 May 2015. This report provides the findings of the said Recertification Audit. With a total land area of 1,295,566 ha, the Terengganu FMU is located to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. There are a total of 44 Forest Reserves within the Terengganu FMU covering an area of 544,936.77 ha of Permanent Reserved Forests (PRF) where 416,736.01 ha has been classified as production forest while the remaining 128,200.77 ha has been classified as protected forest under various functional classes defined in Section 10 of the National Forestry Act, 1984. There is also an area designated as National Park amounting to 77,507 ha that is a totally protected area which is not managed by the FMU and hence is not included in the scope of the certification. In addition, an area amounting to 33,000 ha has been designated as a stateland. Operations within such area carried out by the Terengganu Forestry Department are also not included in the scope of this audit. Logs produced from these sources are not certified and hence cannot enter the PEFC chain of custody system for forest products. Furthermore, although part of the PRF, operations within the following PRFs are also excluded from the scope: • Plantation Forests – 3,860 ha [Merchang Forest Reserve (FR)] • Second Hydro Electric Dam – 18,676 ha (within Tembat and Petuang FRs) Logs produced from the Merchang, Tembat and Petuang PRFs are denoted as ‘P” (’Pembangunan’ – indicating that such forest reserves have been allocated for development). The special denotations on the RPs is to prevent logs harvested from these sources from entering the PEFC chain of custody system for forest products produced from logs harvested from PRFs. The process and mechanism for public or local stakeholders’ participation in forest management are in place. Overall, there are no claims or disputes with regard to land tenureship within PRF in Terengganu FMU either orally or in writing. The Terengganu State Forestry Department continues to collaborate with relevant parties in ensuring positive solution to any problem that may arise. As a government department, the State FD participates in inter-departmental discussions (Majlis Bersama Jabatan) pertaining to any community rights’ issues. The process found to be undertaken systematically through the various arrays of committees from the local village level right up to the State Government. A wide range of stakeholders were contacted four weeks before the planned audit to inform them and solicit their views on relevant FMU management issues. The stakeholders included environmental and social interest groups, local government agencies and authorities as well as local village heads. Until the end of the AD 34-02 Page 3 of 15 consultation period, there is only one feedback obtained in the form of press-cuttings. Details of the feedback are as in Annex 3. For this on-site Recertification Audit, there were also on-site consultations held with the staff of the Terengganu FMU, field workers of the contractors at the harvesting sites, as well as other stakeholders i.e. government agencies and local communities including the Orang Asli. AD 34-02 Page 4 of 15 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS OF RECERTIFICATION AUDIT The Recertification Audit assessed the implementation of forest management practices in the Terengganu FMU against the requirements of the MC&I(Natural Forest). The summary of the outstanding CARs closed- out and new CARs raised are listed in Annex 1 below. RECERTIFICATION AUDIT Issues that were hard to Nil assess Number of CARs closed Four (4) Minor CARs and Four (4) Observations closed Number of CARs remained Two (2) Minor CARs remained outstanding outstanding Number of Observations One (1) Observation remained outstanding remained outstanding Number of New CARs raised Two (2) Minor CARs are raised Number of new Observation Six (6) Observations are raised raised Certification Decision The forest management of the Terengganu State Forestry Department to be recertified as: The management system is capable of ensuring that all of the requirements of the applicable standard(s) are met over the whole forest area covered by the scope of the evaluation; and The certificate holder has demonstrated, subject to the specified corrective actions, that the described system of management is being implemented consistently over the whole forest area covered by the scope of the certificate. The issues highlighted as Minor CARs must be adequately addressed and the adequacy of the actions taken need to be verified during the first surveillance visit to be conducted within 12 months from the date of assessment. MALAYSIAN TIMBER Doc. Number: AD 34-02 CERTIFICATION SCHEME: Version Date: 01 February 2013 MC&I(NATURAL FOREST) (ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS) Page: 5 of 15 Annex 1 SUMMARY OF CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUESTS (CARS) AND OBSERVATIONS Summary of CARs closed out (from Surveillance 02 Audit) CAR Indicator Non-conformance Objective Evidence Close-out Evidence No. Forest managers have not 12 9.2.1 Forest managers have not fully assessed, During the re-certification audit, the audit team noted that the adequately determine the Terengganu FD has developed an HCVF management plan presence of HCVF attributes in identified and demarcated the presence of HCVFs in the forest reserves. E.g. Fauna for Sal tree (Johannesteijsmannia altifrons) found in the FMU in accordance with Compartment 34 of the Jerangau FR. The FD is also in the relevant federal, state and local such as Paedocypris fish (Rimba Bandar Bukit Bauk) (Pg.ix of MTR); endangered process of establishing two other HCVF areas (currently laws, appropriate to scale and already designated but without a management plan) for intensity of forest management species (IUCN red List), e.g. Malayan tiger, Asian Elephant, Malayan Tapir etc. keruing sarawak (Jerangau FR-Compartment 34) and chengal operations in the FMU, and in besar (Pasir Raja FR Compartment 5). The evidence for this consultation with relevant (prevalent in Tembat, Cherul, Pasir Raja FRs). is as per letter of appointment dated 19 April 2015 (ref: PHNT stakeholders. 63/8/5 (8)) titled, “Menjalankan Kerja-Kerja Bancian There is no evidence of stakeholder Kepelbagaian Spesies Flora Di Kawasan Hutan Yang consultation with relevant agencies on Mempunyai Nilai Pemeliharaan Yang Tinggi (HCVF) Di Kompt potential HCVF (all attributes) identified 34, Hutan Simpan Jerangau” from the Terengganu FD to a through scientific expeditions such as the local consultant who has been appointed to conduct species Gunung Mandi Angin (2004) and Bukit Bauk inventory where the keruing sarawak is located. In addition, (2006) and Dungun Timber Complex. the FD has also engaged with PERHILITAN to re-confirm the potential HCVF areas for fauna (which are already identified in Surveillance 02 Audit: previous scientific research and listed in the MTR (Table 24). Evidence of the engagement is per the letter dated 18 May 2015 (ref: PHNT6/3/8/17 (141) titled, “Mesyuarat Konsultasi Verification during the Surveillance 02 Audit Stakeholder Bagi Hutan Yang Mempunyai Nilai Pemeliharaan showed that a Stakeholder consultation has Yang Tinggi (High Conservation Value Forest) HCVF been conducted on 25 May 2014 that was Terengganu”.