On September 24, 2008 Greenpeace activists occupied the AbitibiBowater Headquarters in Montréal to protest the ongoing destruction of Boreal Forest.
AbitibiBowater, which formed out of a merger of Abitibi-Consolidatedand Bowater is logging and fragmenting the last remaining intactforest areas of Ontario and Quebec - areas which are crucial forfighting climate change. The company is destroying the critical habitatof threatened woodland caribou. Less than 36,000 boreal woodlandcaribou remain in Canada and most of these are now found outside of thecommercial forest zone of the country.
Less than 30% of AbitibiBowater's forestlands remain intact. Lessthan 3 per cent of the forestlands where AbitibiBowater operates isprotected in Quebec, less than 6 per cent is protected in Ontario. Noneof AbitibiBowater's forestlands have achieved Forest StewardshipCouncil certification, ensuring responsible forest management.
Greenpeace is demanding that AbitibiBowater stop their destructivelogging practices. The company should suspend logging in intact forestareas and caribou habitat and seek Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)certification for all of their operations, mills and product lines.
The marketplace has been engaged
Since June 2007, Greenpeace campaigners have been meeting with majorcustomers of AbitibiBowater, urging them to pressure the loggingcompany to protect the Boreal Forest. Because these customers can exertfinancial pressure on the logging company, they have a significant roleto play in changing where and how AbitibiBowater logs. A number ofthese customers, frustrated by AbitibiBowater's lack of action havetaken their business to other companies as well as adopted environmental purchasing policies.
Read more about AbitibiBowater:
Who is AbitibiBowater? Profiles of the company's executives and key decisionmakers
Frequently Asked Questions about AbitibiBowater
Read the Chain of Destruction report which launched the AbitibiBowater campaign.