GREENPEACE HIGHLIGHTS G-8 FAILURE TO PROTECT THE LAST REMAINING ANCIENT FORESTS

In a press conference today, Greenpeace revealed the complete lack of action that G-8 governments have taken to date toward fulfilling their previous commitments to conserve the world’s forests. Greenpeace has obtained a leaked copy of the report that the G-8 will discuss at the upcoming Foreign Ministers Meeting in Miyazaki addressing the rapid disappearance of ancient forests around the world. Through the release of a G-8 country scorecard, Greenpeace disclosed that in fact not one of the G-8 countries has implemented the promised programs to fulfil their 1998 commitment to monitor and control trafficking in illegal forest products. While the G-8 countries have taken action to promote sustainable forest management, illegal and unsustainable production and trade in wood products is still widespread.

Only 20% of the world’s original ancient forests remain intact -- most of these forests are located in Canada, Brazil, the Congo Basin and Russia. The world’s ancient forests are vital for species habitat, water regulation, biodiversity and climate regulation; these fragile areas are rapidly being destroyed by illegal and destructive logging activities that serve to supply consumption in Europe, Japan and the United States of America.

The G-8 countries, along with the EU, account for the majority of the world’s international timber trade and all deal with countries that are associated with criminal timber activities. Government reports have clearly shown that the level of illegal logging in some of the major timber producing countries is prevalent. For example, it is estimated that 80% of logging in the Brazilian Amazon is illegal.

Greenpeace recently identified trade in criminal timber in the UK, Germany, Italy, Russia and Japan, highlighting a lack of action by logging companies and traders. Additionally Greenpeace contends that G-8 governments must implement internal measures to control trade in illegal and destructive logging.

"G-8 countries have completely failed and must take action to improve what so far has been an appalling record in protecting these delicate ecosystems," said Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace International. "The time to act was yesterday, if we wait any longer, the forests will be gone."

During this year’s G-8 meetings, governments will review the Pilot Programme for Protection of the Brazilian Rainforest (PPG7). This is the only collaborative programme so far, but it has failed to stop illegal logging, one of the main threats to ancient forests in the Amazon. Based on experiences in tracking illegal logging in the Amazon during the past two years, Greenpeace submitted to the G-8 a proposal to strengthen the PPG7 to directly combat illegal logging.

"The G-8 efforts to save the Amazon to date have never addressed the rampant illegal practices there. To date the programs have always been at least two steps behind the forest criminals," said Flavio Montiel, Greenpeace International Political Advisor. "If they don’t begin to face this problem head-on, the devastation will continue to increase."