SUBJECT
On 6 June 2020, Mighty Earth released the Rapid Response Report 28. The report alleged PT Pipit Mutiara Indah (PT PMI), clearing 7 ha of forest in the concession 22 Dec 2019 to 20 April 2020.
PROGRESS
June 2020
Apical seeks clarification from QL Oil Group on the allegations made in the report.
We received a letter dated 20 June 2020 from the company stated that it is committed on NDPE commitment. They have identified the non-compliant land clearing to NDPE policy in all its concessions based on result of land use change analysis including 5.84 ha between Jan – Feb 2020 in PT PIM. The list of LUCA results was determined via desktop analysis satellite imagery of the stipulated time period. The development of recovery plan will include a process to further finalize how the total non-compliant land clearing will be accounted for.
The QL Oil Group companies commit to work with Apical on the following:
- Implement an immediate group wide moratorium on land clearing and peatland development including an immediate management directive that operationalizes the group-wide moratorium through a stop work order effective immediately
- Acknowledge the total area of non-compliant development of forest or peatland areas post 31 December 2015 within the group’s entire concessions and commit to resolve the non-compliant development through the development and implementation of a comprehensive Recovery Plan 1. Non-compliant development includes deforestation or peatland areas developed post Dec 2015.
- Immediately halt all planting activities on non-compliant development areas cleared in 2019 (pending development of recovery plan)
- For any new development, commit to conduct integrated HCV-HCSA and follow the HCVRN’s ALS quality assurance process.
- Publish group wide NDPE policy or sign a group-wide agreement to comply with NDPE policy.
- Commit to develop and socialize new SOP in line with the adopted NDPE policy within 6 months
- Agree to provide maps (in an appropriate format) of the group’s entire concession to either a public monitoring platform or to the relevant supplier monitoring program (for the purpose of assessing the scale of non-compliant development and on-going monitoring
- Commit to report progress at least every 6 months in the first year then annually thereafter demonstrating compliance against above requirements.
Feb 2021:
QL Oil Group informed that the assessment at PT PMI still on-going and the report will be shared with Apical once completed. QL Oil is also in the midst of developing the NDPE policy.