Ancient Forest Victory, as Rainforest Action Network Yields,
Commits to Review of FSC Support
In a major victory for Ecological Internet and the world's
ancient forests, RAN acknowledges concerns regarding FSC and
commits to campaign to end all primary and old-growth logging
(Earth) -- Bowing to a global pressure campaign spearheaded by
Ecological Internet (EI), the Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
has publicly announced they are reviewing their support for
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), over concerns regarding
FSC's greenwashing of ancient forest logging. In a statement
to Ecological Internet, and on their web site, RAN announced
they find "certification of logging in such forests extremely
problematic" and have "raised the matter with the FSC".
RAN has embraced EI's goal of working to end ancient forest
logging, written to FSC with their concerns and to request
more data, and indicated that FSC's continued certification of
ancient forest logging is problematic and threatens their
membership. Based upon this progress, Ecological Internet has
temporarily suspended the protest campaign. If RAN fails in
its commitment to work within FSC in coming months to end its
certification of ancient forest logging, and refuses to resign
from FSC at that time, EI's campaign will resume immediately.
"Global ecological sustainability depends critically upon
protecting and restoring large, unfragmented, and intact
forest and other terrestrial ecosystems across the globe to
maintain all species, climatic processes, human habitat and
the biosphere's functioning. To this end, Ecological
Internet's demands to RAN, and other long-time appeasers of
FSC's ancient forest destruction, remain simple: either use
your membership to get FSC to eliminate their sourcing of
certified timbers from old-growth and primary forests, or
resign immediately from FSC in protest and to end your
complicity in ancient forest greenwash," explains EI President
Dr. Glen Barry.
This is a huge victory for Ecological Internet's Earth Action
Network -- who in the past year has been ridiculed and
rebuffed by RAN, Greenpeace, WWF and other unquestioning FSC
supporters. EI is the only global ecological campaign network
committed to an "ecological sufficiency" agenda, including
stopping all ancient forest logging, 'certified' or otherwise,
to maintain an operable climate and global ecosystems.
Ending FSC's greenwashing, falsely suggesting ancient forest
logging can be environmentally beneficial, is an essential
first step in the forest protection movement's campaign to end
ancient forest logging globally. This is an increasingly
accessible goal given overwhelming evidence of abrupt climate
change, extinction spasms and general ecosystem collapse.
Following success with RAN, the campaign will be extended to
other FSC supporters.
RAN's review must not only access FSC's official data
regarding how much of their timber is from ancient forests,
but also must look at trends over time and by forest type.
Regardless of whether 35% or 80% of FSC's timber comes from
ancient forests, it is certainly much higher in primary
rainforests, and to be increasing to meet growing demand for
"green" timber. RAN's review should be informed by the best
science currently available regarding minimum global
requirements for terrestrial ecosystem protection and
restoration to maintain biodiversity, the climate, and
biosphere. After Revel, the hard work begins.
ENDS