Organisations like WWF need to have a no compromise approach. Compromise and expediency has destroyed too much of the planets water, trees and animals

This is shocking! WWF as an international conservation organization has a moral responsibility to protect the ancient forests of the world.

The ancient forests of the world are the earth's lifeline! and represent a gigantic support system that can protect the earth from the disastrous effects of climate change.

To see an international conservation organization promoting the destruction of these precious forests feels like an act of etrayal.

I´m annoyed to hear that WWF is helping by supporting FSC to destroy old forests for industrial profit. This is not the way I expect from an environmental group.

I´m a donating member of WWF and I hope, they will stop their support to forest - distroying organisations.

WWF should work without compromise for the rescue of the environment this is what I´m expecting.

If there is no change I´ll think over my membership by WWF.

hoping for god results

Christine Schmaus

As stated before: since almost thirthy years ago I had the impression WWF was only concerned about money and less about moral .
Since then I felt the abreviation WWF meant We Want Funds.

Readers should be aware that both of the questionable FSC-certified tropical timber operations noted in your statement have been DE-CERTIFIED by FSC for violations of the FSC standards. The standards do have teeth. It is also importnat to understand that most tropical deforestation is driven by illegal logging and clearing for subsistence agriculture. Since government protections and 'reserves' are poorly enforced in most developing countries, one of the only means of protecting a standing forest is by creating a lasting economic value for it. Selectively-cut wood is currently the most effective and practical means of creating this value. Unfortunately, in many tropical countries, it's a "use it or lose it" proposition. As much as I agree with total logging bans, they simply aren't practical in many countries.

We need to stop cutting down trees if for no other reason than that they reduce global warming by not only absorbing CO2 which heats up the earth. but also by emitting O2 which cools down the earth. They also absorb the sun's rays thereby further reducing global warming.

There must be more we can do. Can we buy the land with the forests for the local people?

I have always had grave doubts about WWF when they use or used Prince Phillip as the patron , a person who thinks it is alright to blast creatures from the sky unless they are endangered. Also WWF support for the Mexican tuna industry which encircles dolphins with nets was another example of strange policy Is anybody in WWF vegetarian or Vegan or is it jusy a body of corporate careerists, well that's my suspicion

I was rather shocked by receiving such an email from an organisation that I thought I could trust. Even if your claims were true (and I think you don't really understand what the FSC or the WWF stand for), don't you think it would be better for all environmental organisations to work together, in stead of trying to tell us why such and such an organisation is bad? I have been a supporter of the WWF for a very long time and am impressed by the work they do. You should join efforts to protect our planet, in stead of fighting against them.

If it is really the case that WWF and FSC are doing what you say it is difficult to know whom to trust. What do you think their motivation is? Are they receiving money from logging companies? Is this private corruption or is some kind of compromise happening? On whose authority has this report appeared. Where has the evidence come from? Please tell us more.

RESPONSE: It is really nothing more than reporting on well known truths.

Dear Dr Barry,

Friends of the Irish Environment are an ENGO form Ireland.

I read you letter to WWF with great interests as although FIE are FSC members we have the same concerns.

These are exacerbated by the FSC process in Ireland where the state forestry board have been FSC certified to a standard that has had no environmental input. In addition the whole process is now dominated the economic sector with the few environmental and social supporters happy to go along with the ‘the standard can be improved at the next revision in 5 years‘ mantra .

Meanwhile exotic species make up over 90% of the species planted and large clearfells on fragile soils are the norm. This is so called sustainable forestry and is advertised by the state forestry board as ‘5 star forestry’. From an environmental forestry campaigners perspective FSC certification of Irish forestry is probably the most damaging thing to happen as when we complain about current practices we are told it must be sustainable it has FSC certification.

And if this is what happens in a developed country we have really serious concerns about FSC in the underdeveloped countries, concerns which you so eloquently point out in your letter.

We have been advised to contact WWF and are preparing a complaint at the moment which will go to FSC as well.

I would like to wish you every success in your attempts to protect the remaining ancient forests and if there is any thing we can do to help please don’t hesitate to ask

Very best wishes,

Caroline Lewis
FIE
Allihies
Co Cork
027 73208
caroline@friendsoftheirishenvironment.org

Thank you Mr. Barry. I will start by removing WWF from my address list and unsubscribing from their list. They now are going to be part of my junk mail. Where can we go to get truly certified sustainable wood?

Dear Dr.Barry -

My impression was already earlier that WWF use to perform in a rather "institutionalized" way, to put it mildly......and it appears that they handle HR issues (f.e. vacancy applications for functions in the organization) not very sensitively.......

Best regards,

Gerhard L. Mueller-Debus

Hello Dr. Barry,

I don't agree with WWF policies either, when it comes to working with large companies. I do understand that too little is being done to save the ancient forests. But would there be more forests without the FSC? Is it fair to ignore all the other efforts WWF, Greenpeace and other NGOs make to influence politics, companies AND societies?Isn't the actual problem, that a worldwide system of non sustainability and a very aggressive form of capitalism have taken over that effect men and nature? Maybe those FSC rules should instead be applied to all kinds of businesses to give capitalism a sustainable framework.

I'm not at all surprised to read this about the WWF. It is not the 1st, 2nd nor 3rd time that I have been very disappointed by this group, and seriously doubted their motives. I cancelled my membership long ago when I learned that they support the Harp seal slaughter in Canada. I have never liked the word "sustainable". I think it is used too many times to give people a false sense of reassurance.

I joined the WWF last year so I will write to them and ask them what gives? I love all animals, even the so-called mean ones like sharks and polar bears, and so it seemed the right thing to do. I think those so-called mean animals provide a little payback to those who are cruel to animals Meanwhile I will write to WWF and see what I can do Thanks for the heads up on this issue.

Thanks for doing this Joyce. I would cancel the membership of any organization that takes the lead in promoting logging of ancient forests, and make sure they know it is for that reason.

Excellent news!

Nice to see some locally generated support that isn't snuffed out by big
industry.

Keep it up!

Ben

Dear Dr. Glen Barry,

As much as I respect your efforts towards preserving the world's ecological environment, I do have one concern. I have been supporting your work (and will continue to do so) towards putting pressure on governments, and all decision making bodies, to take positive steps towards preservation of the environment, believing that every voice, no matter how small, adds to steer matters in the right direction.

At the same time, however, I have also been supporting WWF and Green Peace. I find it disturbing that you have recently started accusing WWF and Green Peace of a 'desire to see more certified logging', supporting banks to subsidies logging, etc. I feel that this is only part of the truth - that certified logging is the first step in getting from completely uncontrolled logging to eventual total preservation. A 'softening up' process, creating a stepping stone towards further negotiations or demands - making the path forward a little easier for themselves and other organizations, including Ecological Internet.

Getting the world to realize the importance of preservation is such a huge task, we can not afford to undermine organizations with essentially the same ideals, only because they are taking a different route towards the same goal. There is strength in unity, to use a very true cliché.

Regards,
Irene van Tonder. (South Africa)

RESPONSE: Dear Irene,
Thank you for the email. I could not disagree more however. Greenpeace hold the chairmanship of the board of FSC, and WWF is deeply involved in promoting certified forestry, frequently undermining efforts to preserve an area. Our stance is based upon what is required to sustain the Earth, not on a desire to do logging a bit better but still greatly diminishing ancient primary forests. The simple but sad fact is that we have lost too many ancient forests already and for the weather, atmosphere, water and nutrients to continue to cycle properly; all that remains must be saved. Thank you for your support.
Regards,
Glen

This sadly is all we have received as a reply from WWF:

Dear Jim

I am writing to express my satisfaction with WWF's efforts
to promote logging of ancient forests, through credible
forest certification and claims that such responsible
management is environmentally "certified" as being "good
forestry".

It is my hope that you will re-double your eforts through
the World Bank partnership and unflinching support for the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in the face of hysterical
and often quite mindless attacks on your credibility and
the institutions you support.

Please increase your support for the responsible and
appropriately scaled logging of primary and old-growth
forests immediately. It is clear that your support for FSC
certification is well justified. Don't get too down
hearted with the FSC certification of Barama in Guyana and
Terneyles in Russia as this just goes to show that the FSC
system works. If it hadn't been for FSC no one would ever
have done anything (or known anything) and business as
usual would have just chewed up the forest anyway.

WWF's work in protection of ancient forests has been
incredibly successful. At least you and your folks are out
there doing something and not sitting on their asses in
darkened rooms pressing the "send" button and feeling very
righteous because dear Mr Barry tells them to.

Of course, Jim, it's easy to piss in from the outisde and
I'm sure it is very therapeutic for those doing the
pissing, but you run a great organisation that always does
its damndest to do the right thing in a way that lasts. I'd
just buy some longer boots and let them go and send a
million emails to some other underserving cause when they
get tired of mailing you.

A final thought: when those calls for transparency start
flooding in, you might ask them what their solutions are?
You see I've had a quick look around their website and
can't see much that will inspire anyone to change anything.
There's lots of talk about stopping this and banning that,
but not much that speaks of change that might be
sustainable. Let's just ban everything in natural forests
and let nature take its course. Then WWF will have clean
hands as the human nature quickly dismantles and cuts
everything these good minded people want to protect.

It's a funny old world Jim.

PS Ecological Internet keeps all its donors secret. Perhaps
they take money from loggers with a perverse sense of
humour, or the plastic industry with a PVC ax to grind. Lie
I said, funny old world.

Glen "King Of Spam" Barry
Western Sahara
dpollard@wwfint.org

cc:
Key WWF forest campaigners, WWF International Directors,
Samling, FSC