Children during traditional reindeer herding in the Muotkatunturi cooperative
I imagine that none of the other writers invited on this trip want tofeel responsible for the destruction of the forests for just publishing a book.We would think that the wood pulp is obtained from repopulated forests andmanaged in a responsible manner by the timber merchants and companies in thepaper industry. This profession would otherwise be impossible. Imagine poor J. K. Rowling being crushed by theresponsibility of her successes. Apparently the North American edition of herlast Harry Potter book has entailed the felling of a forest equivalent to thesize of 20 football pitches. Thanks to God, the majority of us writers do nothave to carry that burden.However it is very concerning to think that our supposedly peaceful andinoffensive literary activity could have dramatic consequences on nature. Thiswas the reason why we decided to go on the trip to Finland.
What we discovered was a bit like a box of surprises, like those Russiandolls that you keep opening to find another inside. We discovered that theapparent confrontation between Greenpeace and the timber merchants is in actualfact hiding an old, deep-rooted conflict between the Sámi people (the Lapps)and the Finnish State. The Sámi originally called Greenpeace to ask for theirhelp with the unstoppable progression of the felling. Representatives from thecommunity explained to us how the state had ignored their claims on numerousoccasions. They want to remain as they are, indigenous people with their lifestylebased on breeding reindeer. However these primitive forests provide theessential food source for the reindeers and in the winter when they are unableto graze due to the snow and ice their nutrients come from the liquid producedin the branches of the trees. Without these ancient trees, there are noreindeers. Without reindeer there are no Lapps. It is as simple as that.
It is a conflict that has been witnessed in many parts of the world,where indigenous towns fight against the modern states to maintain theiridentity and way of life.
The second surprise we were faced with was that the methods used in thisconflict are not any different to those in a country like Brazil, not somethingyou would imagine in a Nordic country. To give an example: A week before ourarrival a Greenpeace volunteer received a death threat from a Metsahallitus(state timber company) employee. The difference with it happening in Finland isthat the police intervened immediately. The man was armed and the threat wassufficiently credible for the Greenpeace directors to ask its volunteer totemporarily leave the country. As well as this threat, surprising andridiculous intimidation methods were also being used. A few metres fromGreenpeace´s “Surveillance post” that had been set up on the edge of a forest(consisting of a couple of containers fitted out as a home and office withsufficient technology to mark out the indigenous areas, to carry out all typesof measuring and lived in by a team of international NGO volunteers) the timbermerchants set up their camp with obvious intentions of provoking them. My wifeand I were witness to this as we wanted to spend the night there. We were wokenseveral times by the high-pitched sound of a siren. Later it was the noise ofthe engines from snow scooters and later the shouting from the timber merchantsprowling around our post. “They are like children,” remarked a young FinnishGreenpeace biologist the following morning, and she was the young one.
The third surprise was that the timber merchants such as Metsahallitusand Stora Enso (suppliers of vast quantities of paper to the Spanish editorialsector) refused to meet us. We wanted to listen to what they had to say, tohear their point of view, and to ask them if it was really necessary to destroythose last primitive forests so that the Europeans could read the tabloids andgossip magazines. We also wanted to ask them if 21st centurytechnology is not capable of saving those trees without reducing paperproduction and if they agree with the FSC1. But they closed the dooron us, which seemed rather suspicious.
The climax of the trip was on the last day during a press conference.The television cameras were able to film for prosperity Ari Vatanen´sparticipation, he is the Finnish parliamentmember in the European parliament (chosen by aSouthern French constituency!) who launched a violent scathing attack againstGreenpeace saying “they lack legitimacy for coming and interfering in Finnishinternal affairs”. He called us puppets in the hands of the NGO and asked me“Imagine if we came to Spain and told you and the wine merchants what you haveto do with your vineyards?” It was exactly what the Europeans had done whenSpain entered the EU, and not only with the vineyards but with the cows inAsturias and the digging up of the olive trees, togive just a couple of examples, I replied. If Europe is a continent that canhave a Finnish Parliament chosen by the French that defends the timber industryagainst the minority interests then he has to recognisethat in Europe, it is also possible that a group of writers can support thedemands of this minority. You would like to think that Europe is Europe foreveryone.
Mr Vatanen however didn’t want to comply with these causes. He came tosay exactly what the timber merchants wanted to hear, and that was thatGreenpeace was the devil incarnate and was threatening their job positions. Hedidn’t even mention the Sámi or the primitive forests.
Finally it was the French writer Francesca Aurélie Filipetti who settledthe debate “Europe will not allow these forests to be destroyed. Sooner orlater the paper industry will have to adapt to and accept the FSC´s standardsand recycled paper. If Mr Vatanen really wants to help the paper industry heshould start by helping his people to adapt to the reality.”
On leaving when a journalist asked me what my conclusions were, I toldhim that I would still like to stress an old claim, which is asking my bookeditor and publishers to use both certified and recycled paper. The first timeI tried this was with my first book “Footpaths of Freedom” which was about thefight defending the Amazon forests, it was logical. However I recall MarioLacruz, my editor looking at me as if I was crazy, I was not taken seriously.
I will however continue trying and to convince, now more than ever, itis a battle that finally will be won. It is for pure common sense and for puresurvival instincts.