Greenpeace Forest Actions End in Glasgow, Continue in Frankfurt

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

GREENPEACE FOREST ACTIONS END IN GLASGOW, CONTINUE IN 
FRANKFURT 

Glasgow/Amsterdam, 28 March 1998. Four Greenpeace activists who
boarded a shipment of ancient Canadian rainforest timber and pulp on
thursday morning were today served with an injunction to prevent them
from holding up the ship, the 'Saga Wind', run by Saga Forest Carriers
International. The activists from Belgium, England and the Netherlands
have spent over 50 hours on the ship's crane and were greeted by local
people as they emerged at the main gate of the port.

Al, one of the climbers said: "The campaign has only just begun. We
have got across our message that the last pristine rainforest valleys
in Canada must be saved. In the Amazon the rainforests are burning, in
Canada 10,000 years of evolution is being clearcut for things like
cosmetics, glue and doors. Its time for the world to wake up to this
ecological catastrophe."

Meanwhile Greenpeace is continuing its protest against
Hoechst-Clariant in Frankfurt. Activists have chained themselves to
the front gate of the company and will remain there until Greenpeace
receives a clear response that the Hoechst-Clariant will cancel their
contracts with Western Forest Products. On thursday night, the kitchen
supplier Magnet agreed not to buy any further timber from Western
Forest Products, the company who announced its intention to blast
logging roads into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest earlier this
week.

Greenpeace has agreed to abide by the court's decision, but the
international campaign to protect the Great Bear Rainforest continues.
Already, a number of major international companies have said they will
stop purchasing timber and pulp from companies intent on destroying
the Great Bear Rainforest. These include among others the
Do-it-yourself chains Do It All and Sainsbury's Homebase, as well as
BBC Worldwide Publications.

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. The rate of logging and the rarity of this
forest type make the Canadian rainforests among the most threatened
ancient forests in the world. The Great Bear Rainforest is home to
some of the greatest and oldest treees on earth; many grow to more
than 100 metres and are up to 1,500 years old. It also harbours
Canada's largest population of grizzly bears and the only population
in the world of the rare white 'spirit' bear. Globally, 80 per cent of
the ancient forests have already been destroyed or degraded and
industrial logging is the greatest threat to what remains.				

ENDS

Notes to correspondents:

On March 30th, 18 environmental activists, including Greenpeace
members from Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark , Canada and the US,
go on trial in British Columbia for disrupting logging activities in
the Great Bear Rainforest last year. All face possible imprisonment. 

Footage of the action as well as stills and video of the Great Bear
Rainforest is available on request. 

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