"European Commission, stop illegal timber trade!"Activists illegally plant trees in Brussels
Amsterdam, Brussels, 28th November – Last night, 19 activists from Friends of the Earth Netherlands and Flanders & Brussels illegally planted trees in Brussels, at the Grote Markt, the Atomium and ’Manneke Pis’. The action demonstrates the absurd contrast that trade in illegal timber on the EU market goes unpunished, while illegally planting trees is punishable. Half of Europe’s timber imports from high risk regions are illegal. The FoE groups demand environmental legislation to require all timber and timber products on the EU market to come only from legal sources and responsibly managed forests. This morning they presented a tree to European Commissionair Dimas (Environment).
European Commissionair Dimas shares the concerns of the environmental organisations. He pointed out this morning that climate change is ’an important motivation’ to act upon this problem. He said that ’binding regulations’ are needed. Dimas could not name a date fot these regulations to be effective.
’We are glad that our concerns are shared by Dimas. But the speed for these binding regulations to become effective, is too slow,’ says Anne van Schaik, head of campaign at Friends of the Earth Netherlands. To put pressure on the issue, groups in other European countries will continue with tree planting actions. In the Netherlands, cases have been filed against illegal logging and related trade, but enforcement agencies could not take them up.
Illegal logging and over-exploitation of forests are leading to biodiversity loss and social conflicts. Illegal logging is fuelling climate change – deforestation accounts for 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions. In Indonesia, estimates of illegal logging vary between 70% and 90% and in regions such as the Amazon, Congo Basin and Russia it has been estimated that almost half of all logging activities are illegal.
The European Commission has launched the Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade in 2003. Development of this plan is now at a crucial stage.
