GREENPEACE AND FOREST OWNERS AGREE - LOGGING IN NJAKA STOPPED UNTIL SUMMER

GREENPEACE AND FOREST OWNERS AGREE - LOGGING IN NJAKA STOPPED UNTIL SUMMER
FEBRUARY 7TH 1997, VILHEMINA:
Four weeks after Greenpeace started a blockade against the logging of old growth forests in Njakafjall, an agreement was reached with the forest owners, Vilhelmina Allmanning. The vice chairman of Allmanning, Mr Gosta Jonsson, met today with Greenpeace and gave his word that no more logging would take place before the summer. Greenpeace will during the weekend move the container-house that is now blocking the road into Njakafjall, and thereby let the owners drive out the timber that was already logged before the action started.
This is what we demanded to stop our blockade, says Mats Abrahamsson, Greenpeace. The most urgent problem is now solved and we can direct our energy towards the Government and the Environment Minister, Anna Lindh, who bears the real responsibility to solve this issue.
Last Friday, Greenpeace placed a log of timber from Njakafjall at the entrance of the Ministry of the Environment, demanding that Anna Lindh take responsibility to save the old growth forest of Njaka. Anna Lindh there said she believes the forest owners should take the financial responsibility to save the forest.
That's just a way to get away from the responsibility, says Mats Abrahamsson. It is completely unfair to put this burden on the mountain forest farmers. They have enough financial burdens anyway. The old growth forests are a concern to all of us, and the responsibility to save it belongs to society.
Today there are less than 5% old growth forests left in Sweden, and every day 50 hectares more are logged. The old growth forests are the only possible biotope for more than 1200 threatened species. Greenpeace demands that the Government protect all remaining old growth forests in Sweden.
The agreement today with Vilhelmina Almanning gives us an oportunity to reinforce our watch over all the other threatened old growth forests in Sweden, says Mats Abrahamsson. We are going to stop every attempt to log in old growth forests.

For more information, please contact:
Mats Abrahamsson at Njakafjall: +46 940 701 89 or +46 10 229 20 42
Dennis Pamlin, Press Officer: +46 8 702 70 80