World Protest Makes Ocean City Think Twice About Boardwalk
New Jersey based Friends of the Rainforest and Ecological Internet's campaign to stop the use of ancient rainforest timbers for boardwalk repairs is progressing nicely -- garnering media attention and already changing the city council's vote. An important precedent is being set that ancient rainforest timbers belong in rainforest canopies, not in construction projects and consumer products. You can still take action -- we are making a difference with every protest email we send and every new protest network participant we recruite.
The crusade to keep ipê out of Ocean City's boardwalk reconstruction is a rejection of Forest Stewardship Council and big greens' efforts to certify and greenwash industrial ancient forest logging as being responsible, while falsely implying sustainability. First time logging of primary rainforests -- selective, certified, ecosystem based or otherwise -- results in an immediate huge release of carbon, permanent reductions in future carbon sink potential, and reductions in species numbers and diversity. One of the gravest obstacles to mitigating climate change, conserving ancient forests and achieving global ecological sustainability is the pernicious myth that selectively logging ancient forests (certified or not) is environmentally beneficial. It is NOT.
With just over 15% of the world's ancient forest existing in large, intact blocks; areas that are critical for continued functioning of ecosystems and the biosphere, what remains MUST be protected in an intact state that is free from all industrial activities. Ensuring the Earth's continued capacity to provide humanity and our sister species our habitat; including addressing climate change, ending the extinction crisis and maintaining freshwater resources, depends critically upon ending ancient forest logging and finding methods to compensate local peoples and governments for avoiding deforestation AND forest diminishment such as that wrought by "certified" logging.
Promising efforts to promote avoided deforestation through established carbon markets -- whereby governments and local peoples are paid for maintaining intact forests -- are deeply threatened by this false notion that selectively logging ancient forests can be done while maintaining many of their ecological values. Carbon payments for forest protection will only prove beneficial climatically and ecologically if the payments are for avoided deforestation AND diminishment -- that is, preservation rather than conservation, of all remaining ancient forests. Much confusion exists on this point, even amongst well-meaning forest conservationists, yet to suggest otherwise is to promote the next biofuels boondoggle; where the solution is as bad, or worse, as the original ecological crisis itself.
First time heavy and industrial selective logging of ancient forests is nearly as bad as outright deforestation in terms of reduction in carbon sequestration, loss of biodiversity and general change in ecosystem functionality. The World Bank and many world governments are joined by the Forest Stewardship Council, Greenpeace, WWF and Rainforest Action Network in falsely suggesting that ancient forests can be logged industrially in a manner that will not permanently disrupt their carbon sequestration and will not result in long term loss of biodiversity. If you support these organizations you are profoundly personally responsible for the climate and biodiversity crises, and are stymying the last best chance to stop ancient forest logging and save the Earth.
And so we are making a stand against climatic and rainforest ecocide in Ocean City, New Jersey of all places! Should this misconceived use of ancient rainforests for ocean boardwalks progress, if you can, please join myself and others in possible non-violent direct action to stop the project sometime this fall. Time is running out to address the crises facing global climate, ecology and the biosphere. It is time to take a stand, speaking ecological truth, and placing our minds and bodies between ecosystems and their destroyers (however well intentioned but misinformed they may or may not be).