Greenpeace today criticised world governments for failing to
seize the opportunity to take urgent measures to protect the most
biologically diverse areas on the planet - the last ancient forests
- at this week's meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
CBD. Despite having recognised that the world's "biodiversity is
being destroyed by human activities at unprecedented rates," they
failed to take the necessary action to stop further loss and admit
that their efforts so far have been "too few, too little and too
late."
This is the first time since the Rio Earth Summit that world
governments discussed the fate of the world's last ancient forests.
However, the Ministerial declaration released this morning ignores
the strong recommendations on action provided by their own
scientists (SBSTTA) which stressed "the need to urgently prioritise
biodiversity conservation efforts on the most endangered and
environmentally significant forest ecosystems and species, in
particular primary [Ancient] forests."(1) Some countries such as
France, Germany and Russia supported action to stop the ongoing
destruction. However, Brazil, Canada and Malaysia spent two weeks
watering down the action program and blocking progress and failing
to reverse forest loss and tackle illegal logging. The work program
delivered failed to match the scale and urgency of the forest
crisis.
"Environment Ministers came to the Hague to decide the fate of
the world's last ancient forests and could have made history," said
Gudrun Henne from Greenpeace. "Greenpeace, as well as some
governments, came here with high hopes to reverse the trend of
ancient forest destruction. We are left only with minor steps that
fail to match the scale of the crisis. Governments will not be able
to justify this to future generations who will inherit the results
of their failure."
The Conference of Parties of the CBD failed to: - Stop further
industrial activities in intact ancient forests until responsible
plans for forest conservation and sustainable use are agreed
[Moratoria]; - Ensure that timber and other forest products are
produced and traded in a legal and ecologically responsible way
[Measures]; and - Commit to even the most minimal funds to pay for
forest conservation and sustainable use [Money].
Adriana Carvalho dos Santos (17) from Brazil, one of a thousand
young people from the Greenpeace Kids for Forests, representing 19
countries, who came to the Hague to express their concerns and
hopes said: "I do not understand what games are played here. All
they care about is money and their own interests. Our forests are
our future. Within my lifetime the jaguar and the gorilla may have
nowhere left to live. I just can't believe it!"
"The last ancient forests are now in the hands of Heads of
Government who will meet at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg in
August this year," said Henne. "Greenpeace will continue to do
what's right for the forests and the people who live in and depend
on them for their livelihood and culture. We will continue to
expose all those who threaten their survival."
The ministers also discussed proposals to stop and prevent
biopiracy, the theft of genetic resources from developing countries
by US pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. This is reflected
in the declaration. Greenpeace believes that any agreement to stop
biopiracy will be insufficient if the resources to be shared are
disappearing. Most of the biodiversity on the planet is found in
the last ancient forests, which are still not protected.
Ancient forests house up to 80 percent of the world's
terrestrial biodiversity. During the 12 days that delegates met to
discuss the fate of the ancient forests, another 360,000 hectares
of ancient forests were lost - that's an area the size of over half
a million football fields.
Notes: The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)"Agrees, recognising the critical values of primary forests for the conservation of biodiversity and the current alarming rate of loss of such forests, to give priority in the programme of work to activities that could significantly contribute to their conservation." SBSTTA 7 Montreal, 18 November 2001.