GREENPEACE LAUNCHES AMAZON SHIP

23 February 2000

HAMBURG -- Greenpeace today officially launched a new addition to its fleet of ships, the Amazon Guardian, which will work against destructive logging practices in the Amazon rainforest. The 58-metre motor vessel departed Hamburg Harbour for Brazil to help support Greenpeace's efforts in keeping the world's remaining ancient forests alive.

"The Amazon Guardian will allow us to go deep into the Amazon forest to expose illegal logging practises and highlight potential solutions for the environmental problems of the region," said Roberto Kishinami, executive director of Greenpeace Brazil, at the launch.

Greenpeace's Amazon Guardian will be involved in the organisation's endeavour to monitor and expose destructive logging in the world's largest remaining ancient forest. Almost 80% of logging in the Amazon is illegal. Currently Greenpeace is working with indigenous communities and local groups to help find a way of maintaining the delicate ecological balance of the Amazon. A major part of Greenpeace's campaign involves finding economic choices that will offer alternative forms of employment and opportunities for people in the region to make a living from the forest without destroying it. This includes extraction of non-timber forest products, eco-tourism and ecologically sustainable logging.

"The Amazon Guardian's departure from Germany symbolises the responsibility of industrial countries for ancient forest destruction all over the world in the year 2000," said Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace Germany. This year, G-8 governments must review progress made on forest issues since 1997 when they agreed to develop a forest action programme which included eliminating illegal logging and illegal trade. During the 1998 G-8 meeting in Birmingham, world leaders announced their commitment to implementing the forest action programme and agreed to report progress in the 2000 G-8 meeting.

Twelve million hectares of the world's forests are destroyed each year. "We will closely scrutinise G8 countries for initiatives they have taken. There have been far too many words on paper!" added Kaiser, "What we need to save the Amazon and other ancient forests is action, now."

The Greenpeace vessel, the Amazon Guardian, will have a crew composed of men and women of several nationalities including Brazilians, Spaniards, Colombians, Dutch, English and Portuguese.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Martin Kaiser, Forest Campaigner, +491718780817 or, Gina Sanchez, Communications Co-ordinator for Forests Campaign, +31 6 53128907