Feature story - July 26, 2009
Greenpeace activists are blocking access to the Ministry of Natural Resources to disrupt its regular business activities in protest against the destruction of Quebec’s last intact forests.
Boreal Forest, block the entrance of Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources which oversees forestry.
About a dozen Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the building doors early this morning, after depositing a large amount of lumber at the ministry’s office. The wood is from AbitibiBowater, the biggest and most destructive logging company in Quebec. The activists also hung a banner reading: “Boreal Forest: The Destruction Starts Here”.
Check out the live feed of updates from the continuing action
"The ministry's regular business has been to approve forest
destruction for decades. Today we are here to disrupt that
business."
"It is time for the ministry to drastically change direction
towards sustainable forestry and protection of our natural
heritage."
Nicolas Mainville,
Greenpeace forest campaigner
A successful "return to sender"
operation
Greenpeace's peaceful "return to sender" operation began early
this morning when activists collected AbitibiBowater wood in the
Quebec City area and then "returned it" to the ministry office
building because it is responsible for forest management. They are
protesting against the Quebec government's inaction on protecting
intact forests.
A law of destruction
It is the Ministry of Natural Resources that oversees the
exploitation of Quebec's forests. In the fall, this ministry is
planning to approve a new forest law (Bill 57) that would allow
intensive forestry in an area 150 times larger than the island of
Montreal and would further support the degradation of the
province's last remaining intact forest areas and habitat of
threatened woodland caribou.
Less than five per cent of the allocated forest in Quebec is
actually protected from development while only 10 per cent remains
intact. These intact areas store the highest levels of carbon and
provide the best habitat for woodland caribou. The forest bill
currently sitting on the minister's desk would further degrade
these areas.
AbitibiBowater's wood is a product
of destruction
During the action, AbitibiBowater's wood was stamped with the
message PRODUCT OF DESTRUCTION. Even though Canada's Boreal Forest
is the largest terrestrial reserve of carbon on the planet, the
Quebec government has licensed over 84 per cent of Quebec's
productive forests to logging companies. AbitibiBowater is allowed
to exploit up to 6.4 million cubic metres of wood from Quebec
forests every year. They refused to protect intact areas and
caribou habitat.
Key facts:
• On November 15th 2008, Quebec Premier Jean Charest announced a
promise to protect 50 per cent of the territory included in its
Northern Plan (areas north of the 49th parallel).
• The new forest law - Bill 57 - would be an environmental
failure because it puts in place new obstacles for conservation,
furthers the destruction of Quebec's last intact forests,
eliminates the implementation of real ecosystem-based management
and proposes the creation of immense monocultures and large-scale
plantations.
• Around 90 per cent of the forest allocated by the Quebec
forest ministry has been logged
• 90 per cent of the logging in Quebec is clearcut logging.
• Of all forest globally, the Canadian Boreal Forest is the
largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon on earth storing 186
billion tonnes of carbon or more than 27 years of global greenhouse
gas emissions.
