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29 Aug 2002
Friends of the Earth sees the partnership as a constructive initiative
which is prioritising the right issues. But it distracts from governments’
failure globally to effectively tackle the destruction and degradation
of the world’s forests. The Rio Earth Summit failed in 1992 to
agree a legally binding convention on forests, establishing instead
the voluntary Forest Principles. Since then, the world has lost 10 per
cent of its forests, and rainforest destruction has accelerated. An
area of forest the size of England and Wales is being lost every year.
Governments have also failed to crack down on illegal logging, let
alone unsustainable logging. Friends of the Earth estimates that 50
per cent of the tropical timber entering the European market each year
comes from illegal sources. The UK currently tops the European league
table for imports of illegally sourced tropical timber, with 60 per
cent of imports derived from companies engaged in illegal logging, but
this figure could be significantly reduced following the Partnership
agreement.
Ed Matthew, Forests Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said:
“Instead of a global binding agreement on forests, we have small
scale, limited scope initiatives like this. The
UK’s plan is welcome but does not make
up for the desperate need for international legally binding agreements
to save the worlds rapidly diminishing forests. If this doesn’t
materialise at the Earth Summit, partnerships can only be interpreted
as a distraction from achieving real progress
at the global level.”
Friends of the Earth wants to see the UK Forest Partnership for Action
back tougher and more ambitious targets. The environmental campaign
organisation is calling on the Government to ensure that all timber
be bought from sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
by 2007. All the UK’s commercial forests should also be certified
to FSC standards by 2007. Friends of the Earth wants the UK Government
to make a clear statement supporting EU legislation to make it illegal
to import timber products from illegal sources.
[1] Friends of the Earth today publishes a
guide on the partnership
approach (PDF†), one of the most
controversial elements of the Earth Summit. Copies are available from
the press office.
†To view PDF files you will need to download
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these
documents from access.adobe.com.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
