Mega-corporation still destroying forests, despite green pledge

Does the mega-corporation APRIL -- which has cleared more than a million hectares of native forest in Sumatra, Indonesia -- speak with a forked tongue? 

Rainforest clearing in central Sumatra by APRIL (photo by William Laurance)

That certainly seems to be the case, based on recent photos of forest destruction in Sumatra, captured by Greenpeace.

APRIL made headline news earlier this year with a high-profile 'no-deforestation pledge'.  Many observers had doubts, however, including ALERT director Bill Laurance in this essay.

APRIL -- also known as Asia Pacific Resources International Limited -- is one of the world's biggest producers of paper pulp.  Much of this has come from clearing native forests in Sumatra -- turning rainforest trees into pulp and then planting exotic tree species in their place.

Rainforest timber stacked up outside APRIL's wood-pulp plant in Sumatra (photo by William Laurance)

APRIL has long been criticized for its forest-destroying ways -- see, for instance, this TV interview with Bill Laurance on Australia's Foreign Correspondent program -- but seemed to be turning over a new leaf with its no-deforestation pledge.

Alas, the doubting Thomases may have been correct.  APRIL claims the new, large-scale forest destruction is consistent with their pledge -- but 'no deforestation' means 'no deforestation', right?