Greenpeace Extends Action to Stop Canadian Rainforest Destructio

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GREENPEACE EXTENDS ACTION TO STOP CANADIAN RAINFOREST
DESTRUCTION

GLASGOW/ FRANKFURT,  March 27, 1998 - Greenpeace today extended
its British direct action against the destruction of the Great
Bear rainforest in Canada with a second direct action in Germany
this morning against the international chemical company
Clariant. The company currently uses pulp from Western Forest
Products,  the Canadian company intent on clearcutting  the
Great Bear Rainforest.

Activists today chained themselves to the gate of  Clariant's
German plant in Frankfurt at 7.00 this morning and are demanding
that the company stop buying pulp from Western Forest Products
(WFP). This week WFP started building a logging road into one of
the last pristine valleys of the Great Bear rainforest on the
Canadian west-coast. Clariant is one of the largest European
buyers of pulp from Western Forest Products, which it uses to
make cellulose ether,  used in the production of  fabrics,
paints, construction materials, glues and other products.

The activists also sawed logs on the street with chainsaws in
front of the Clariant plant  and erected a five metre high
inflatable Grizzly bear and a banner saying  "Hoechst Clariant -
 closed because of destruction of the rainforest". Clariant is
45 per cent owed by Hoechst. 

A member of the Nuxalk First Nation from British Columbia,
participated in the German action. Greenpeace and members of the
Nuxalk protested  last year against logging activities in the
Great Bear Rainforest. 

Clariant responded to the Greenpeace action saying they will
demand a guarantee by April 15,  that any  pulp supplied by WFP
must not be made from trees taken from the Great Bear
Rainforest. Greenpeace welcomed this as a first step but said it
is insufficient and that Clariant must react now as Western
Forest Products has already begun building a logging road into
pristine valleys of the Great Bear Rainforest. 

Meanwhile four Greenpeace activists today remained on a loading
crane in Glasgow harbour, where they have been since 10 am
yesterday, preventing the unloading of the ship,  Saga Wind, 
which has on board timber and pulp from Western Forest Products.
Britain  is Europe's largest importer of timber and one of the
largest importers of pulp from British Columbia, on Canada's
west coast. It is used in products such as magazines, garden
furniture and even cosmetics. Some of the trees from this region
of Canada are up to 1,000 years old.

Already another British company, Magnet stores, has announced
that they will not renew their contract with Western Forest
Products, following the lead of other UK companies including B
& Q, Sainsbury's Homebase,  Do It All and BBC Worldwide
Publishing.  However two other British companies, Jewson and
Hacros,   have as yet to take action on this issue.  Both
companies are owned by Meyer International.

Of the 353 original valleys on the west-coast of Canada, only 69
remain intact. The majority of these are slated to be clearcut
logged in the next 10 years. These ancient rainforests support
a huge diversity of life including the largest population of
grizzly bears in Canada and the world's only population of rare
white spirit bears. 

Notes 

1. On April 1st, 18 environmental activists, including
Greenpeace members, go on trial in British Columbia for
disrupting logging activities in the Great Bear Rainforest last
year. All face possible imprisonment. At the beginning of May,
Nuxalk First Nations chiefs are also on trial for the same
action.