Feature story - 23 March, 2005
Copy paper giant Xerox has announced that it will stop using fibre from Sámi Reindeer Forests in northern Finland. This is a small but significant victory in the campaign to save some of the last ancient forest in Europe.
Ancient forest threatened by industrial logging to make cheap copy paper and magazines.
The indigenous Sámi peoples still practice traditional reindeer
herdingin Arctic Lapland, relying on remaining old-growth forests
to providevital food for their reindeer during the cold winter
months. But theirforest is being industrially logged for the
production of pulp andpaper - ending up as magazine and copy paper
throughout Europe.
This is why Xerox's announcement is good news for Finland's
ancientforests. In fact it should be good news for many forests if
Xerox keepsits word. As part of our ongoing correspondence, Xerox
has informed usof the adoption of a new procurement policy,
ensuring that suppliers donot source timber from 'old-growth
forests, conservation areas or otherareas designated for
protection'.
Under siege
Howeverthe
Finnish reindeer forest is still under siege as many othercompanies
are profiting from the destruction. The Finnish state
loggingcompany logs supposedly protected areas. Most of these logs
go toFinland's largest paper company StoraEnso to be turned into
paper andsold as magazines and copy paper.
Up in the frozen north, we have our Forest Rescue Station to
helpdefend the rights of the Sámi peoples against industrial
logging. Wehave been helping mark their lands as protected for
reindeer herding.We are pressuring the Finnish government to stop
logging in protectedareas. We are asking StoraEnso to stop
profiting from the destructionand writing to ask StoraEnso
customers to pressure the company. Xeroxhas been one of the first
to respond.
Help save the Reindeer forests!
We can't do this alone - we need your help. We are still here
inArctic Lapland working with the Sámi reindeer herders to ensure
thatthe Finnish paper industry doesn't sell out these forests to
make cheapmagazine and copy paper products. Help us defend these
forests frombeing logged by the Finnish government's own logging
company,Metsähallitus and sold for pulp and paper production.
Write to StoraEnso
and the Ministry of Finance,who are the largest single
shareholder in the company. We already knowthey are feeling the
international pressure and ministers arecomplaining about getting
1000's of messages - so keep up the pressure!
More information
Read the report "Lapland: State of Conflict - How the Finnish
government is abusing the forest rights of Sámi reindeer
herders
Check out the Forest Rescue
Station weblog to keep in touch with, and show your support
for, our icy activists!
You can also
read more about the Forest Rescue Station or
check out the FAQ.
Read the
full letter from Xerox.
Play Eco Quest 3 - The Reindeer Herders