Greenpeacers in China and Australia Target Illegal Logging

BEIJING, China, November 18, 2004 (ENS) - Greenpeace is mounting a concerted campaign to stop illegal logging in Asia. The environment group held a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday to expose Asia Pulp & Paper's destruction of the forests in China's Yunnan province. And activists were arrested in Brisbane, Australia earlier this week for protesting illegal logging in Papua New Guinea.

Greenpeace filed an official report to China's State Administration of Forestry about the illegalities involved in the Yunnan logging situation, and urged the Chinese government to punish the responsible parties.

In 2002, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) signed a memo of understanding with the Yunnan provincial government for its eucalyptus forest, pulp and paper integration project.

Within the year, APP enclosed a forest of 183,330 hectares in southern Yunnan province, and began logging in the region.

The hills of Yunnan have been stripped of their trees. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace China)

With no felling permit or other required approvals, APP contines to log the natural forest illegally, as Greenpeace has documented in two field researches in June and September.

Liu Bing, forest campaigner with Greenpace China, said, "Yunnan is a world biodiversity hotspot. The project in question will wreak havoc on the local biodiversity, which will trigger a chain reaction in the neighboring areas, thus causing irreversible ecological disaster to the whole region."

In Papua New Guinea, illegal logging and human rights abuses are the subject of a Greenpeace campaign that links purchases of illegal timber by Australian consumers to forest destruction.

A timber company based in Brisbane is trading in illegal timber from Papua New Guinea (PNG), according to a local clan leader and Greenpeace Australia. The timber industry in PNG is responsible for environmental destruction, corruption and human rights abuses, both parties say.

Greenpeace activists stenciled the message, "Illegal timber destroys lives" onto piles of timber in the TLB timber yard Monday and held a banner reading "Corporate violations or human rights" across the front gates.

Five Greenpeacers were arrested. Two of them were charged after chaining themselves to TLB's front gates at Hamilton near the Brisbane wharves and another three were arrested for graffiti.

The federal Forestry and Conservation Minister, Ian Macdonald, says he agrees with Greenpeace on the issue. "On this issue I do agree with Greenpeace," he said on Monday.

"I do think some of the most important forests in the world are being destroyed through illegal logging and I do think we have to, through the world community, stop the destruction of these very special forests."

The Brisbane company is owned by Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan Hijau, which was the subject of a November 3 SBS Dateline program that focused on practices which abuse the human rights of indigenous landowners.

John Danaiye, a PNG clan leader and spokesperson for Musula and Iwatubu village clans, is taking Rimbunan Hijau to court claiming they have illegally logged his tribal land.

PNG clan leader John Danaiye speaks to the media in Brisbane. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace Australia)

Reports commissioned by the PNG government, the World Bank and nongovernmental organizations have documented the illegalities, environmental destruction, human rights abuses and corruption in the PNG forestry industry.

“I am here to let the Australian people know what’s happening to my forest home, so that they know not to use disputed PNG timber in building their homes, said the PNG clan leader. "And to urge the Australian government to take action to stop stolen or illegal timber from entering Australian ports.”

Greenpeace forests campaigner Katerina Lecchi said, "Illegally logged timber destroys lives. Australian based companies should stop supporting the trade in illegal timber and move urgently to certified sustainable sources of timber.”

"Timber companies should check their sources and immediately stop importing and trading in illegal and destructive timber. They should source timber which carries reputable certification like the Forest Stewardship Council certification,” said Lecchi.

Australian Forestry Minister Ian Macdonald (Photo courtesy Office of the Minister)

But this time the minister only made the statement to urge Greenpeace to focus on PNG and leave Australian loggers alone. "I find it incredible that Greenpeace, other radical conservation groups and the Green Party continue to oppose sustainable forestry in Australia," Macdonald said.

"Australia has the best managed, most sustainable forests in the world. We carefully monitor and regulate all harvesting and strictly enforce environmental guidelines. Yet expansion of Australia's sustainable timber industry is thwarted by radical conservationists bent on a political agenda," said the minister.

"They have no real interest in the world environment. If radical greens were serious," the minister said, "they would be sitting up trees in PNG not stopping workers doing their lawful business in forests that are already 70 percent locked away in reserves."

"If Australia was self sufficient in wood and forest products," said Macdonald, "we would not have to consider imports from alleged dodgy operations."

Greenpeace Australia and other conservation groups have been protesting the logging of old growth forests in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

In November 2003, environmentalists from Australia, Japan, Canada and Germany set up a tree sit - dubbed the Global Rescue Station - a platform 65 meters above ground to protect the tallest hardwood trees on Earth from being pulped for paper.

Tasmania exports more logs and woodchips from native forests than all other Australian states combined.