Better investigations
Law enforcement is an important part of tackling illegal logging, and Jæger and his team are helping the Indonesian government draft better laws, improve enforcement by advising how to conduct criminal investigations which will produce solid cases able to stand up in court, and by studying satellite photography of forest areas to identify possible locations of illegal activity.
Governance also falls under his remit and considerable guidance is offered with regard to forestry management and capacity building.
Key task
One of the key tasks of the FLEGT project is to establish an independent licensing system that assures exported timber products have been legally produced. Negotiations between the Indonesian Government and EC are ongoing to put such a system in place, and Jæger is an official observer to the process.
"The issuing of certificates of legality for timber products is an important step and would account for a huge reduction of illegal timber into Europe," he says, adding, "We will monitor the system to ensure it credibility and that certain standards are being met."
Ships and logs
Jæger grew up in Esbjerg, Denmark, keen on nature, hunting and fishing but did not feel quite ready to study at university so instead, he joined Mærsk where he dabbled in shipping. But after deciding his heart was on land rather than sea, he subsequently went to Copenhagen's Royal Veterinary and Agriculture University where he received an MSc in forestry.
After starting at Denmark's East Asiatic Company, he familiarised himself with the logging business and was soon travelling overseas. Joining Kampsax (later acquired by COWI) in 1997 as Chief Technical Adviser on forestry issues, he spent two years in Malaysia advising on sustainable forestry management and low impact logging, contributed to Swaziland's forestry policy from 2000, before arriving in Indonesia in 2003 first as Co-Director for the Illegal Logging Response Centre Project and since March 2006 as Team Leader for the FLEGT Support Project.
One month in COWI
Jæger enjoys the independence of being away from the head office, and also the cultural development in Indonesia where a significant democratisation has occurred in recent years.
The somewhat itinerant Jæger remarks, "I think I've spent one month in COWI's head office when I was between projects. The rest of the time I have been overseas."
By Martyn Glanville
Published: 03.05.2007
