Solidarity Statement Against Illegal And Destructive Logging

Members of civil society, local communities, local governments, NGOs  and concerned individuals who have gathered together on this 6th day of  March 2006 in Quezon City, Philippines:
 
  IN SOLIDARITY with our Asian neighbors and the rest of the international community, and in memory of our Filipino brothers and sisters who were innocent victims of floods and landslides, the worst among them being the tragedies in Ormoc, Leyte in 1991, Aurora and Quezon Provinces in December 2004, and Southern Leyte last February 2006, as well as all the other ecological disasters through the years-
 
  Understanding that illegal and destructive logging largely contribute to the decimation of our forest resources which causes loss of biodiversity, instability and massive erosion of upland soil, serious damage to our river and underground freshwater ecosystems, and coastal areas;
 
  Further understanding that illegal and destructive logging undermines responsible forest management and all efforts to conserve and protect the forest and its ecosystems;
 
  Aware that only 3% of the primary forest cover of the Philippines remains and continues to be at risk of being wiped out by unabated illegal and destructive logging (1);
 
  Aware that the disastrous effects of destructive logging are further worsened by extreme climate occurrence associated with climate change, such as more frequent and intense tropical cyclones and excessive precipitation (2);
 
  Concerned that, in spite of the Philippines' ecological and geophysical conditions such as the frequency of typhoons, and earthquakes, the government has allowed logging to continue in the only remaining forested areas in the country;
 
  Alarmed that the Philippine government's response to the country's ecological degradation is limited to disaster mitigation rather than long-term solutions such as reforestation and forest law enforcement;

Greenpeace,Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Process (FLEG Process) Task Force Chair,local government leaders and community representatives light 1,500 candles at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Heroes Shrine) in Quezon City, Philippines on the eve of the East Asia FLEG meeting in Manila.

  WE DECLARE THAT WE WILL:
 
  1.OPPOSE all forms of forest destruction and remain vigilant and committed to protect our national patrimony for the next generation of Filipinos; and
 
  2.SUPPPORT the East Asia FLEG process and remain committed to help intensify all efforts to pursue national, regional and international enforcement cooperation to reduce the scourge of illegal logging.
 
 
  WE CALL ON ALL EAST ASIA FLEG COUNTRY SIGNATORIES TO:   
 
  1. Intensify national efforts to lay the groundwork for the actions they committed to undertake for the East Asia FLEG as early as 2001 under the Bali Declaration;
 
  2. Seriously confront the underlying issue of systemic corruption in the forestry sector as one of the major key drivers of illegal logging and associated illegal trade; and
 
  3. Facilitate, not stall or delay, the advancement of the East Asia FLEG process through an efficient integration and harmonization of all efforts, undertakings, agreements and priorities at various forums (such as the ASEAN and ITTO) to curb illegal logging in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
  WE APPEAL TO CONSUMER COUNTRIES TO:
 
  1.Stop fuelling illegal logging and associated illegal trade by reducing their demand and consumption for timber and timber products so as not to aggravate the ecological threats to other Asian countries such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; and
 
  2.Lend a hand in reversing the trend of massive deforestation and ecological degradation of the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia by supporting reforestation and forest law enforcement.
 
  WE CALL ON THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT TO:
 
  1.Cease and desist from promoting invasive/extractive activities such as logging which severely  compromises the carrying capacity of the environment to sustain life; and
 
  2.Declare a total commercial logging ban immediately and intensify efforts to rehabilitate and reforest logged over areas, particularly those where communities are highly vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides and floods.
 
 

Notes:

(1)World Resources Institute, Country Profile Philippines, http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/forests-grasslands-drylands/country-profile-145.html