Yet another stunning victory for Ecological Internet's (EI) Earth Action Network and partners, as Amerindian Villages in Guyana where Barama/Samling has been logging illegally have thrown Samling out of those communities. Or depending upon how you spin it, Samling withdrew after being told in no uncertain terms that the residents and Council did not want the logging company there. If only every community with ancient forests undergoing logging on their lands (legal or illegal) that they do not desire were to be given the choice of just saying no. Most of the tropical timber industry would be shut down tomorrow, WWF and Greenpeace would be without a forest conservation program, and prospects for global forest and ecological sustainability would increase dramatically. The report below is from Bruno Manser Fonds, a Swiss rainforest group, and a Guyanese newspaper.

It has been quite a month for Ecological Internet and our local and global partners in protecting from industrial development all the World's remaining ancient forests as a matter of indigenous justice, terrestrial species and ecosystem sustainability, and maintaining an operable climate. EI spearheaded three different alerts in the past six weeks regarding Samling's logging activities in Guyana; as well as international banking, and conservation organization's such as WWF and FSC's, complicity in this ancient forest slaughter.

We anticipate great things ahead as EI has completely updated our hardware and software technology, and have data systems in place to track and intervene in rainforest and climate decision making where we deem it will make a difference. Please do not let this come to an end because EI cannot raise $16,000 to meet our mid-year goal. Please donate and save the future of rainforests, the climate, the Earth; and your and your children's future. This is how it works - you make a small donation if you can afford too (or a large one if you are wealthy), and take part in the action network and portals to educate yourself; and we guarantee opportunities for you to materially and substantively contribute the Earth's survival. Pretty good for a yearly budget of K75 in 2006. Please donate now!

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- - BREAKING NEWS - -

The Amerindian village of Akawini in Guyana has forced the Malaysian logging giant Samling to stop all operations on its titled lands, where Barama Co. Ltd. a wholly owned Samling subsidiary, had been logging illegally. This is reported today by the two leading Guyanese newspapers Kaieteur News and Staebroek News.

The campaign success for the Guyanese Amerindians comes four weeks after the Akawini village captain David Wilson spoke out about Samling's illegal practices in a press conference in Zurich that was organized by the Bruno Manser Fonds and the Society for Threatened Peoples. Representatives of an international NGO coalition had asked Credit Suisse to refund the 10 million-dollar profit it hade made from Samling's public listing in early March.

Samling Global Ltd. had been publicly listed at the Hong Kong Stock with support from Credit Suisse, HSBC and Maquarie Securities Ltd. Due to intensive international campaign pressure, HSBC has since decided to review its environmental due diligence. Credit Suisse continues to fiercely defend its commercial relationship with Samling.

Samling controls more forests in Guyana than it does in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, where it has its headquarters.

BRUNO MANSER FONDS, BASEL / SWITZERLAND
For more information, please contact us:
Tel. +41 61 261 94 74, www.bmf.ch, info@bmf.ch

ITEM #2
TITLE: Akawini forces Barama to withdraw from concession
SOURCE: Kaieteur news, Guyana
DATE: May 30, 2007
BYLINE: Tusika Martin

Amidst hostility, Barama Company Limited yesterday pulled out its operations from Akawini, an Amerindian Village in the Pomeroon, in Region Two.

Yesterday, Chairman of Barama, Girwar Lalaram, visited the community to meet with residents in the wake of protests by the residents over Barama's operation there.

Upon his arrival at the Akawini Primary School, several residents lifted placards protesting the company's presence in the community.

As if set for battle, the furniture in the school were separated into sections allowing villagers to sit on one side and the officials from Barama on the opposite side.

With that margin being set, village Captain, David Wilson, who seemed irritated, began the meeting asking Barama officials to clearly state their case.

Mr Lalaram took the decision to withdraw from the community after he was told in no uncertain terms that the residents and Council did not want the logging company there.

Mr Lalaram stated that the company has dealt with Amerindian
communities in the past. He noted that those relationships have been beneficial to the lives and standards of the people of those communities.

“In no way, Barama operating in the Akawini and St. Monica, will ever attempt to cheat you, to deny you of whatever we are supposed to
deliver to the people and Council of Akawini and St. Monica. I stand very firm on that,” Lalaram said.

He noted that from what he had learnt, Interior Wood Product
Incorporated (IWPI), with whom Barama has a sub-contract, was supposed to fulfill some social activities in the area.

These activities included housing, education and helping the community to build recreation and other facilities.

Lalaram reiterated yesterday that his company will fulfill all the promises that IWPI failed to execute.

“I would like the Captain and the people of Akawini to tell me what was promised and I will ensure that those are delivered fully within the shortest possible time to the communities,” Lalaram stated.

On the issue of employment, he noted that he was told that 54 persons are employed from the village of Akawini.

He however stated that those persons are in camps in other areas around Guyana and not at the operation in Akawini.

“I do not know that exact number of people now working in Akawini with Barama. I am willing to make the investment in the people of the two villages that are trainable…to train them to work for Barama,” the Chairman stated.

Lalaram also told the gathering that Barama will not pay any person below the national minimum wage.

“If they work overtime the standard labour regulation applies where they are given one and half times the daily wage. If they work through lunch they are supposed to be provided with a meal allowance. If they work beyond the work time in the afternoon then they will be given a meal allowance.

“From a national labour perspective we will comply with all the
regulations,” he noted.

He added that from his last discussion with the company's Forest
Planning Manager, who attended a council meeting, he was informed that the Council had taken a decision not to maintain any relationship with IWPI.

“I stand firm, I will have nothing to do with IWPI. They have written to me indicating very clearly that they are going to challenge Barama in court... but that is a different issue. If the people of Akawini and St. Monica decide that they don't want IWPI, IWPI is out… It is now your decision whether you want to continue to work with Barama or you don't want to work with Barama,” Lalaram added.

He stated that he is willing to remodel the agreement between the people from the two villages to reflect certain social commitments and responsibility to the community and the people of Akawini and St. Monica.

“Whether you take a position that you want Barama or not, I will be donating a computer and printer to the children of Akawini and another computer and printer to the children of St. Monica,” Lalaram stated.

The Captain stated that when IWPI went to Akawini, “we were like ants and they were like sugar and my people love sugar and they make a lot of promises and now today our lives are being threatened.

“It was clearly stated on the contract with IWPI that if IWPI wanted to sub-contract to anyone other person they must consult with the residents and Council of Akawini,” he said.

He noted that this was not done and IWPI has been lying to the village council from the inception.

“They have misrepresented my dear Minister of Amerindian Affairs and even the Ministry of Forestry was misrepresented and now you coming here and tell me that everything will be cleared up this far? It can't,” he said to Lalaram.

Following the decision to withdraw, Deputy Captain, Rudolph Wilson demanded that the company pay compensation to the residents.

“The Barama Company is using us for cutting of the logs and they are taking it out and they are paying us near nothing and so we are demanding that the company compensate us for every log that they have taken from our land at an export price.

We are also demanding that Barama pay us, the employees, wages they owe to us… That Barama pay the rainforest conservation to make up for the destruction they caused in Akawini,” the Deputy Captain said.

He noted that the village is also seeking compensation for the
disruption the company caused to their traditional and customary way of life.

If these demands are not met, he stated, legal actions will be taken.

Speaking with the media following the meeting, the Village Captain said that Barama is not giving the residents full employment.

“They are polluting our water. They are cutting logs and leaving them to rot. They are bridging several tributaries of this creek, which is damaging the water. From time to time the people will suffer from typhoid and diarrhoea.

“When the people go for hunting in the backlands they cannot use the water to drink because of pollution. The lives of the people are being threatened and because of that we are saying that we don't want anything to do with the company anymore,” the Captain said.

According to the Captain, the decision to withdraw is very welcomed by the residents since the threats to their lives have been eliminated.

On returning to the city, Mr Lalaram said, “I took the time to go there primarily to bring issues to close, that was my objective. They have put in the press that they have issues. They went to an international forum and raised issues. My objective was primarily to discuss with them to see a way forward. Unfortunately I could not have dealt with the hostility. I never expected protest.

“At no time did the captain or council of Akawini even send a letter of complaint of any issue that was raised internationally and which Amerindian Peoples' Association put out in a recent press release.”

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Uganda's government has scrapped plans to convert thousands of hectares of rainforest into a palm oil plantation. The government said it could not license Kenyan company Bidco to plant palm for biofuels in what is now a protected forest on Bugala island in Lake Victoria. Days earlier, the Ugandan government suspended for further study a separate proposal to give 7,000 ha of mainland Mabira forest reserve to a sugar grower. The Mabira victory was huge as the bulldozers were ready, and it is expected further study will kill the project.

These two major rainforest conservation victories were made possible by an unprecedented national protest campaign to protect Uganda's dwindling forest reserves, buttressed by international protest facilitated exclusively by Ecological Internet. Over the past year President Yoweri Museveni has faced intense opposition, including peaceful protests sadly turned violent, over proposals to give private firms the right to bulldoze protected forests to create plantations. Ecological Internet alone generated some 1.8 million protest emails to the Ugandan parliament and Forest Authority.

Uganda has long faced a deforestation crisis, with forests covering 20 percent of Uganda 40 years ago, but now just seven percent. Deforestation has been directly responsible for declining levels of waters in Lake Victoria and River Nile resulting in a scarcity of drinking water and reduction in hydroelectric energy production. Some one-third of Mabira Forest Reserve, about 7,000 hectares of an area which has been protected since 1932, was to lose its protection for sugar cane production by the Mehta Group. Mabira is a watershed for two rivers contributing to the Nile, an ecological stabiliser between two industrial towns and it protects Lake Victoria.

Dr. Barry, Ecological Internet's President notes, "The Ugandan people have set important precedents regarding the sanctity of protected area status, the importance of standing rainforest ecosystems for national development, and perhaps set the stage for a large and effective home grown African environmental movement. They are to be congratulated, as are those thousands of global citizens that stood with them against unnecessary further diminishment of Uganda's rainforest legacy."

###

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dr. Glen Barry
President
Ecological Internet, Inc.
P.O. Box 433
Denmark, WI 54208
USA
GlenBarry@EcologicalInternet.org
+1 920 776 1075 phone

Ecological Internet's projects include:

EcoEarth.Info -- http://www.EcoEarth.Info/
Climate Ark -- http://www.climateark.org/
Forests.org -- http://forests.org/
Water Conserve -- http://www.waterconserve.org/
Rainforest Portal -- http://www.rainforestportal.org/
Ocean Conserve -- http://www.oceanconserve.org/
My.EcoEarth.Info -- http://My.EcoEarth.info/

Dr. Glen Barry's personal "Earth Meanders" essays can be found at: http://earthmeanders.blogspot.com/

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION: WWF is the world's largest ancient forest logging apologist; actively promoting questionable "certified, sustainable" logging in Guyana, Russia and -- and may be the World's greatest threat facing endangered ancient forests

For many years the international conservation group WWF has supported Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification that first-time logging of ancient primary and old-growth forests is "sustainable". Millions of hectares of intact, large rainforest ecosystems have been and are being heavily industrially logged for the first time with WWF and FSC's stamp of approval. Ecological Internet (EI) recently reported upon Samling of Malaysia's activities in Guyana under the name of Barama, which received significant international bank financing based upon assurances provided by WWF and an FSC certificate of good forest management. Sadly, WWF's partnering with this particular rainforest destroyer in Guyana is not at all unique. Similar large-scale, often illegal and highly socially and environmentally destructive logging of ancient forests in the Congo basin countries, Russia, and Indonesia continue with the blessing of WWF and FSC as their official policy. WWF's greenwashing, and propagation and subsidizing of the myth of "sustainable ancient forest logging", may be the greatest threat to the world's remaining ancient forests. TAKE ACTION  

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

As a forest conservation activist for 18 years, who later also became a climate change advocate for the past 9 years, it is so gratifying to see recent widespread acceptance of what has become Ecological Internet's central message -- large, connected ancient primary and old-growth forests are a requirement for stopping climate change [more] and achieving global ecological sustainability. Global survival depends upon the Earth's last 20% of natural, primary forests remaining intact and totally protected as "global ecological reserves" with fair payments for avoided deforestation. Indeed, humanity has overshot the amount of natural forest ecosystem that can be developed while sustaining biogeochemical processes upon which all life depends and maintaining an operable atmosphere. Thus, we promote restoration ecology to expand ancient forests, "rewilding" [search] remnant forests into old-growth habitat in a targeted manner.

While ecological science highlighting the necessity of maintaining ancient forests to fight climate change (amongst other things) has strengthened; sadly mainstream environmental groups cling to failed policies of "certified, sustainable" logging of these ancient life giving wonders. World Without Forests (WWF) is the primary culprit. Given we have already lost too much ancient forest to maintain the Earth's climate, and that selective first time logging certified or otherwise releases carbon and forever limits carbon sink potential; it is not enough to protect half of the Canadian Boreal -- as a consortium of big money logging apologists propose. Nor is it enough to cut tropical deforestation by 50% (both presented below).

The U.S. tried to exist as a half free, half slave country; and it didn't work. It was unjust, based upon false premises that you can have it both ways on a matter of objective truth. Likewise, protecting half of what has already been 80% diminished, and continuing to advocate commercial development of the rest, when ancient and old-growth forest ecosystems are already inadequate to maintain life; is a false, deadly message. The only truthful, ecologically valid forest conservation message is the total protection of primary forests and restoration of widespread old-growth forest characteristics, with certified forest management in other secondary forests and mixed species planted forests. At this late date in the Earth's ecological collapse, those saying otherwise are part of the problem, contributing to ecological Armageddon. Tell WWF, Greenpeace, the World Bank and FSC to "End Ancient Forest Logging" [alert].

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

-- Do WWF and Greenpeace members realize they are supporting industrial logging of the world's last ancient rainforests? Until this changes, they should cancel their memberships.

By Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet, http://www.rainforestportal.org/
Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

For years the World Bank, WWF and Greenpeace have put their faith in protecting the world's remaining ancient primary forests by reforming criminal industrial logging practices. These ancient forest logging apologists' policies of pursuing "sustainable forest management", "forest certification" and "improved forest governance" has been pursued for nearly two decades. Yet, ancient forest logging remains out of control, severely damaging ecosystems and the climate, and providing few if any local benefits to rainforest dwellers. The climate crisis makes maintaining all intact rainforests even more important.

"The scientific literature and years of failed, ecologically and socially devastating tropical rainforest logging clearly show there is no such things as 'sustainable certified' ancient forest logging; and global ecological sustainability, successful climate change mitigation, maintaining fully intact rainforest ecosystems and species, and future survival of local rainforest dwellers and their eco-development options sadly depends upon confronting the global ancient forest logging apologist industry," explains Ecological Internet's Dr. Glen Barry.

"Logging primary forests for the first time results in species composition, structure and dynamics that are irreversibly diminished and much of their carbon is released. It is time to stop working to reform and instead shut down ancient forest logging, compensating not yet over-developed countries for this avoided deforestation and diminishment, and supporting community based small-scale eco-forestry activities."

Africa's Congo Basin provides an example of ill-advised international forest conservation policy. The Congo contains the world's second largest rainforest; a haven for vital global biodiversity and ecosystem services, and a safeguard against runaway global warming. About 400 mammal species live there, including the world's largest populations of lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and forest elephants. Some 655 bird species and over 10,000 plant species can be found.

It is terrible that in the DRC, Greenpeace supports a moratorium but not an end to industrial logging, that WWF continues to advocate and work with loggers to facilitate the "certified" diminishment of these ancient intact rainforests, and that the World Bank has failed to enforce the logging moratorium and continues to subsidize national policy and institutions that promote industrial logging of ancient forests. In a Bank-mediated 2002 logging moratorium deal, DRC's government agreed to not issue any further logging licenses in return for $90 million in aid. Since then an estimated 100 logging contracts covering 15 million hectares have been issued. Many are being legalized in a review subsequently initiated by the World Bank.

WWF, the global conservation organization, promotes industrial forest certification throughout the world's last natural, large and intact ancient forests. WWF works with and takes money from logging companies -- including some of the world's worst ecological abusers -- to help get their primary rainforest logging operations certified. The supposed best forest certification is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which is closely associated with both WWF and Greenpeace. Greenpeace chairs FSC's international board, and advocates ancient forest certification widely throughout the world. Recently both organizations sold our large areas of temperate rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, to "sustainable" logging. There are serious and ongoing problems with FSC including repeated issuing of inappropriate certificates and certifiers certifying whatever they want. The rules on 'High Conservation Value Forests' are just one set of rules that are routinely violated, and FSC's principles make no claims of ecological sustainability.

The ultimate aim of Ecological Internet's "End Ancient Forest Logging" campaign is to get the World Bank, other donors and mainstream conservation bureaucracies completely out of the business of supporting industrial ancient forest logging -- and in particular to stop supporting national forestry institutions and policy that perpetuates the industrial logging model. Only then can a united campaign stop sending mixed messages and shut down industrial ancient forest logging companies.

"Sadly, these groups are a big part of the ancient forest loss and diminishment problem. After years of these concerns being ignored, and now blocking of our protest emails, we are calling for a boycott of new, and cancellation of existing, WWF and Greenpeace memberships, and for the World Bank to be barred from ancient forest policy making. This is the beginning of a sustained campaign."

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)