Press release - 15 May, 2003
Greenpeace activists today, uncovered approximately 8000 cubic metres of contentious timber from Liberia, Cameroon and the Congo currently stored in Sète, France. Activists onboard the Rainbow Warrior entered Sète Harbour this morning and climbed the cranes of the harbour facilities.
A Greenpeace inspection team from the Greenpeace flagship SV Rainbow Warrior mark contentious timber imported from tropical rainforests in Western Africa. Greenpeace is campaigning to protect the world's remaining ancient forests.
France is the largest importer of tropical timber in Europe. Once on the French market, almost one quarter of the imported timber is used in government buildings and projects. Each year, about 120,000 tonnes of tropical wood arrives in Sète. Most of it comes from Africa.
"The French Government must take strong measures to stop the import of contentious tropical wood and choose wood approved by the Forest Stewardship Council for its public procurement," said Ludovic Frère from Greenpeace France.
In April last year, the Government of Jacques Chirac announced that the new code on public procurement would include environmental criteria and choose preferably FSC® products. But until now, nothing concrete has been done.
After two years of campaigning by Greenpeace and the UK based humanitarian organisation Global Witness, the United Nations Securities Council imposed further sanctions on Liberia to include a ban on all exports of timber. Until the decision last week, France had not acted upon the concerns expressed by Greenpeace and Global Witness about the import of conflict timber. The French Government must now do everything possible to stop the import of such timber and other timber coming from the destruction of the ancient forests around the world.
Greenpeace is calling on wood buyers to obtain products from forests managed to meet the principles and criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council™(FSC®).
Greenpeace is campaigning to protect the world's remaining ancient forests by promoting ecologically sustainable and socially responsible forest use and the establishment of protected areas. Protected forest areas are dedicated to the conservation of their biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and are established and managed respecting traditional land rights, particularly those of indigenous peoples. They are protected from road building and industrial activities.
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