The uptake of innovative wood identification techniques could enhance Indonesia’s ongoing commitment to tackle illegal logging and provide law enforcement with reliable and accurate tools to effectively enforce its forest laws, according to a new Working Paper published by the Forest Governance and Policy team and WRI Indonesia.
‘Bridging Science and Law: Aligning Forensic Wood Analysis with Indonesia’s Forest Law Enforcement to Tackle Illegal Timber Trade’ highlights how wood identification methods that can be applied for the identification of origin, such as DNA and stable isotope analysis, could transform law enforcement investigations in Indonesia, and improve compliance with policies aimed at curbing the illegal trade of timber.
But the paper also identifies a need for deeper involvement from government agencies to scale-up the use of these technologies. A stakeholder mapping shows that while Indonesian law enforcement authorities have the strongest interest in using these tools, and considerable power to influence their adoption, non-state actors such as non-profit organizations (NGOs) and universities have been leading the efforts in expanding their use and application.
Addressing this gap could help reduce illegal timber trade modus operandi such as misdeclaring valuable timber species and origin to avoid paying timber levies. Between 2003 and 2014, the resulting loss to the government in uncollected timber levies is estimated US$6.5-9 billion.
How does Indonesia currently investigate suspected cases of illegal logging?
The main legal instrument to counter trade in illicit timber in Indonesia is Law No. 18/2013 on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction. Law enforcement agencies have a maximum of just 90 days to complete investigations into forest crimes, which require evidence proving timber was harvested illegally from a designated forest area, such as a national park. Establishing the origin of timber is therefore essential.
Currently, investigators employ wood anatomy analyses for species identification, but this cannot verify claims on the origin of the timber. Investigators rely on claims made by the suspects as to where the timber was harvested, and attempts are made to trace timber manually by locating tree stumps (lacak balak) and matching them, based on size and species of the timber in question. This is an imperfect method which can lead to incorrect matches. It is also labor and logistically intensive, which presents a challenge given the tight timeframe for investigations mandated by the legal framework.
Verifying timber origin using DNA and stable isotope analysis
Unlike wood anatomy, other methods such as DNA and stable isotope analyses offer reliable verifications of timber origin. While this approach requires the establishment of a reference database (populated through sampling of trees) to verify claims, once established, site visits and manual checks are no longer needed, thereby saving time and resources for law enforcement. The origin of timber can be rapidly verified using these methods, ensuring that false claims of origin and illegally sourced wood can be identified.
Verifying claims on the species and origin of timber products using these tools can enhance enforcement efforts by providing rapid and reliable identification of timber, and can ensure compliance with policies aimed at curbing the illegal timber trade. If scaled effectively, this could lead to a reduction in illegal logging and an increase in timber passing through legal channels, which would become subject to timber levies.
Greater government involvement needed
However, for Indonesia to reap the benefits of these verification methods, it will need to accelerate the development of timber reference databases and lab accreditation processes.
Various wood identification methods can serve complementary functions, with DNA and stable isotope analysis supporting origin verification, and direct analysis in real time (time of flight) mass spectrometry (DART-TOF-MS) machine that can enable rapid identification of species.
These technologies are now available in the country; in 2024, IPB University acquired a DART-TOF-MS, while also preparing accreditation processes for its DNA laboratory. That same year, scientists from National Research and Innovation Agency BRIN and IPB received stable isotope training from World Forest ID and the University of Adelaide. BRIN’s stable isotope laboratory is now calibrated against international standards for wood testing.
But, as these technologies are relatively new, law enforcement has yet to adopt these technologies at scale. Sampling efforts to build reference data for wood identification methods have been driven by universities, researchers, and NGOs, which have often been limited in time, funding and capacity. As such, greater involvement from government agencies is vital to effectively scale up the use and application of these technologies. As evidenced in the research, such an investment could bring strong returns for Indonesia and its forests, especially in a context where timber consuming countries are continuing to mandate more robust traceability requirements.