GREENPEACE ACTION ON HIGH SEAS - SEA OF JAPAN TIMBER SHIPMENT FROM RUSSIA BOUND FOR JAPAN

3 July 2000 SEA OF JAPAN

Today at 09:10 in the Sea of Japan five Greenpeace activists boarded a ship carrying timber from the Russian port of Plastun to Japan. This action is to highlight trade in illegal timber between G8 countries in the build up to the forthcoming G8 summit in Japan. The activists from Russia, Japan, UK, Israel and Australia occuppied logs stacked on the deck of the vessel, the Byisk. A banner in english "Is this timber illegal?" was placed on the logs stacked high on the timber vessel, other banners were in Russian and Japanese.

At around 10:20 local time in the Sea of Japan in waters in the Japanese Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) the 'Byisk' altered course to return to Plastun, its port of origin. Around 11:00 Greenpeace activists disembarked as the log cargo was being returned to Russia. Later the "Bijsk" again changed its course this time back to Japanese waters. The Greenpeace ship the "Rainbow Warrior" is following the vessel with its cargo of timber bound for the Japanese market via the port of Toyama Shinko.

Greenpeace has released a report on illegal logging activities in Russia with particular focus on Russia's Far Eastern region of Primorsky. Investigative teams of Greenpeace activists have been in the forest in this area for month's now. Their findings have concluded that illegal logging activity is rampant in the region. Two out of every ten logs in the area are harvested due to illegal logging activity.

"Today Greenpeace is bringing attention to the international community the real situation that is occurring in Russia's forestry industry" said Evgeny Kotchoubei Greenpeace Russia spokesperson aboard the Byisk. Kotchoubei was also involved in recent field investigations in Primorsky forests."Unfortunately in Russia illegal logging has become common practise. Most of the roads in the Primorsky region willlead to an illegal logging site.This will be escalated by PresidentPutin's abolishment of the 200,000 strong State Forestry Service and State Committee for Nature protection due to take effect next month. These functions will be transferred ot the Ministry Of Natural Resources with a much smaller task force.

Illegal logging will therefore increase in Russia while at the same time Japan continues to increase their imports from Russia's forests." Illegal logging of Russian forests means logging without permits, forged permits or logging with permission but outside of permitted areas, species,in areas bordering waterways,and outside of existing legislation. Oak, ash and Korean pine are exported from this region to markets in Japan, Korea and China. No questions are asked about the origin of the timber by the importing countries. Greenpeace is calling on Japanese buyers of timber products from Russia to trace the origin of the timber through genuine means and to not accept illegal timber products.

"Today's action is an example to G8 countries such as Russia, Japan — the host country of this month's G8 meeting—and the USA to fulfil commitments made in 1997 to implement a practical action programme eliminate illegal logging; instead of trading in illegal timbers," said Michelle Sheather Greenpeace International spokesperson aboard the Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior. "At the same time Russia must break its existing criminal practise of forest management to bring an end to new illegal logging activities."