"China: Large-scale land acquisition for APP Forest Plantations: Field findings and Recommendations", October 2014

…[R]eport reveals that Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the world’s 10 largest pulp and paper companies…is facing significant challenges due to its land acquisitions in China and the social issues that have arisen as a result of historic acquisition processes. The land rights conflicts emerging from these acquisitions—if left unaddressed—pose serious risks to APP’s investments and operations in the country…Researchers…discovered a long line of violations of forest farmers’ individual property rights and livelihoods in APP-China’s forest land acquisitions dating back to the mid and late 1990s and up until the early 2000s. The research was conducted…in Guangxi and Yunnan, the two Chinese provinces where APP, with assistance and encouragement from local governments, leased large areas of collectively owned forest land to establish eucalyptus plantations for paper and wood products. APP cooperated fully with the researchers during the course of their field work and reviewed the report. In a response published within the report, the company conceded the challenges it is facing around its community leased lands in China, and disclosed that it is implementing an internal action plan to address the issues raised. The plan includes establishing two pilot sites where APP’s current lease arrangements will be reviewed in order to better understand the issues across the entirety of the company’s plantations in China…