Trial of 18 Environmentalists Begins in Vancouver

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

TRIAL OF 18 ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARRESTED FOR PROTECTING THE GREAT
BEAR RAINFOREST BEGINS IN VANCOUVER

(Vancouver, British Columbia), Monday, March 30, 1998 --  The
trial of 18 environmentalists arrested June 24, 1997 for
blockading the clearcut logging operations of International
Forests Products (Interfor) on King Island in the Great Bear
Rainforest begins today in the the province's Supreme Court. The
defendants are charged with refusing to obey the court
injunction issued by the Supreme Court of British Columbia
requiring them to stop the protest and move off the road they
had occupied since June 6, 1997.

The 19-day blockade started after Nuxalk First Nations
hereditary chiefs invited environmentalists from Citizens for
Peoples Action for Threatened Habitat (PATH), Bear Watch, the
Forest Action Network (FAN) and Greenpeace to join them in their
efforts to prevent further clearcutting by Interfor of the
ancient rainforests of Ista, a place considered sacred to the
Nuxalk.

About 40 RCMP officers conducted the arrests of 24 individuals
including 12 Canadians, one American, five Europeans and six
members of Nuxalk First Nation on King Island over the course of
several hours the morning of June 24.

Once arrested, individuals were flown back to Vancouver and
after appearing before a Supreme Court of British Columbia judge
they were released on the condition that they appear in court
for their hearing today.

"These people are standing trial and facing potential jail
sentences for protecting some of the last ancient rainforests. 
But the real criminals are the companies, Interfor and Western
Forests Products, that are right now blasting roads into some of
the last rainforest valleys." said Karen Mahon, Greenpeace
Forests Campaigner.

Interfor is currently actively logging on the edge of the
Johnston River valley, one of the most contentious pristine
watersheds left on the central coast.

The six members of the Nuxalk First Nation will appear in
Vancouver Supreme Court beginning May 4, 1998.

In 1995, the Nuxalk head hereditary chief asked Interfor to stop
logging the sacred ancient rainforests of Ista. Interfor refused
and 21 people were subsequently arrested for trying to protect
these lands, including two hereditary chiefs.

Interfor is one of two companies (the second is Western Forest
Products) that have plans to log the majority of the remaining
intact rainforest valleys on Canada's west coast.

The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the world's last areas of
pristine temperate rainforest. 80% of the world's ancient
forests have already been destroyed or degraded. Temperate
forests are the most endangered of what remains.

The Canadian government has yet to follow through on its 1992
commitment made at the first Earth Summit in Rio to introduce
endangered species legislation to protect critical habitat areas
like the Great Bear Rainforest.

The planned logging in Canada's ancient rainforest is meeting
with growing opposition in Canada, Europe and the United States. 
Several major pulp and timber consumers (B&Q, Do It All,
Homebase, Lenzing and Magnet, among others) have announced they
will no longer buy clearcut rainforest products. Last week
Greenpeace activists in Europe blockaded a shipment of
rainforest wood in a Scottish harbour destined for the European
market, while Greenpeace activists in Germany are on their
fourth day of  protest in front of Clariant, a German buyer of
Western Forest Products pulp.

Editor's Note: 
(1)  Photos and video footage of the Great Bear Rainforest are
available on request. (2)  Photos from the blockade and
defendant information is available on the new Ancient Forests
Home Page launched last week on the Greenpeace International
website at www.greenpeace.org. (3)  Trial begins at 10:00 a.m. at the
British Columbia Supreme Court, 800 Smithe Street.

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org