GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND ON-SITE INSPECTIONS REVEAL LITANY OF "BROKEN PROMISES" IN B.C. FORESTS

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND ON-SITE INSPECTIONS REVEAL LITANY OF "BROKEN PROMISES" IN B.C. FORESTS
Toronto, Canada - 21 April, 1997
Greenpeace releases international report condemning British Columbia's forest practices and policies
A report released by Greenpeace and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund at the United Nations, in Toronto, Victoria, in five European cities, and live on the internet today documents a long series of broken promises the British Columbia government has made to the world about protecting its public forests.
By collecting government and forestry industry data and carrying out their own on-site inspections, Greenpeace and the SLDF have revealed that, contrary to government and industry claims, the situation has actually worsened in British Columbia's forests.
Following world-wide criticism of the province's clearcut logging policies earlier in the decade, the B.C. government undertook a series of heavily promoted initiatives including the Forest Practices Code, the Protected Areas Strategy and others. "Broken Promises" is the first comprehensive analysis of what these measures have really meant. The answer is a lot of public relations and very little protection.
"Broken Promises" reveals a complete failure by successive provincial governments to enforce the Code, reduce the cutting of public forests to sustainable levels or adequately protect forest regions of global ecological importance. It also shows that the provincial and federal governments, along with the forest industry, have spent over $65 million in public relations to try to convince the world that all is well in the woods.
"British Columbia's forests are moving ever closer to the brink. This report reveals that for the past four years the government has been misleading Canadians and the international community," said Greenpeace forests campaigner Tzeporah Berman. "The government has spent millions of dollars promoting forest related initiatives but the truth is the level of cut remains the same, clearcutting continues unabated and wildlife in this province is simply not protected."
"The improved forests laws promised to British Columbia have been consistently watered down and are now little more than window dressing. This evidence shows that the BC government has been more interested in public relations than in making the real changes it promised," said Greg McDade, Executive Director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund.
Polling done by Comquest Research, also contained in the report, shows that 77% of British Columbians think logging of old-growth forests should be stopped or phased out. More than 90% want strong rules to protect the environment even if it costs a bit more, 69% do not want clearcutting to continue given the available alternatives and 81% say Premier Glen Clark is not doing enough to protect B.C.'s forests.
Some of the other primary findings contained in "Broken Promises" include:

Instead of protecting wildlife habitat as it promised, the government has not implemented any of the available mechanisms including "landscape units". All current logging is therefore relying on the "lower biodiversity option" as set out in the Forest Practices Code. According to the Forest Practices Code the "lower Biodiversity Option" will mean that "The pattern of natural biodiversity will be significantly altered and the risk of some native species being unable to survive in the area will be relatively high." (Source: The Forest Practices Code, Biodiversity Guidebook)

While government and industry claim they are leading the world in protected areas, only 6% of the low elevation old growth forest has been protected; of all the areas protected since 1991, 61.2% are classified as alpine/subalpine areas (consisting primarily rock of and ice). (Source: Land Use Coordination Office, A Protected Areas Strategy for British Columbia)

Widespread clearcutting continues in "Special Development Resource Zones," that were intended to protect wildlife.

Despite promises to increase alternative harvesting and statements that "Wide chunks the size of football fields are no longer cut" (Source: Ministry of Forests in the Washington Times, 2-July-1996) cutblocks in excess of 100 hectares are still commonplace. A football field is one hectare.

Province-wide the report shows 92% of logging is still done by clearcutting.

While 764 B.C. salmon stocks have gone extinct or are at risk of extinction, and 83% of streams in 1996 cutblocks were clearcut right to their banks.

Despite repeated violations of this kind, in the almost two years the Forest Practice Code has been in effect, not a single charge has been laid.

The annual amount of forest logged in B.C. remains 20 % above the Ministry of Forests estimates of a sustainable level.
The release of "Broken Promises" follows efforts by the Canadian government at the United Nations to introduce a Forest Convention
that would allow destructive forest practices and policies of this kind to continue.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
In Victoria: Tzeporah Berman or Greg McDade by cellphone at +1 (0)604 220-7701.
In the afternoon in Vancouver Tzeporah Berman +1 (0)604 253-7701 or Greg McDade (604) 685-5618.
In New York: Tamara Stark by cellphone +1 (0)604 313-0159.
In Toronto: Karen Mahon or Mary MacNutt by cellphone +1 (0)416 505-1792 or (416) 597 -8408.