Southeast Asia is home to one of the three major tropical forests in the world, and the region boasts valuable biodiversity. However, these tropical ecosystems have faced degradation and decline mainly due to commercial timber production in the late 20th century and the expansion of oil palm cultivation in the 21st century. The rapid increase in commercial timber production after World War II, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, was primarily fueled by imports from Japan. Although selective logging methods were adopted, they often caused irreparable damage to forest ecosystems and local communities. This problem was further exacerbated by the rapid increase in illegal logging during the political and economic crisis era in Indonesia around 2000. In response, timber-importing countries, including Europe, the United States, and Japan, introduced policies restricting imports of illegally logged timber. At the same time, timber-producing countries also introduced measures such as timber legality assurance systems and mandatory forest certification. Meanwhile, in regions such as Vietnam and Java, smallholders have cultivated fast-growing trees, which have become an integral part of the timber supply chain. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the expansion of oil palm cultivation has been a significant factor in deforestation in these decades, often resulting in land conflicts with local communities. It should be noted, however, that not all oil palm plantations were established by destroying natural forests, and many suffer from low productivity. In addition, an increasing number of small-scale farmers are turning to oil palm cultivation as their main source of livelihood. Along with cattle and soybean cultivation, oil palm is a significant contributor to deforestation and a primary target of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) introduced this year. Some Japanese companies have also voluntarily engaged in sustainable sourcing. Nevertheless, the due diligence requirements imposed by the EUDR and similar initiatives have been criticized for having a negative impact on small farmers with complex supply chains. Given this situation, stakeholders advocating sustainable sourcing in consuming countries should aim to create supply chains that not only promote due diligence but also contribute to the sustainable development of local communities in the producing countries.
Hiromitsu Samejima (Fri,) studied this question.