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Outcome
Bowing to a
global pressure campaign spearheaded by Ecological Internet (EI), the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has
publicly announced they are
reviewing their support for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), over concerns regarding FSC's greenwashing of ancient forest logging. In a statement to Ecological Internet, and on their web site, RAN announced they find "certification of logging in such forests extremely problematic" and have "raised the matter with the FSC". [
read more]
Action Alert: As Rainforest Action Network Prepares to "Revel", What Has Become of Their Old Growth Forest Campaign?
There is no chance of achieving global ancient forest protection, climate stabilization and ecological sustainability until RAN and other ancient forest logging apologists follow Friends of the Earth in withdrawing from the Forest Stewardship Council and uniting to work to end ancient forest logging
By
Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet
-
September 26, 2008
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1.) Inform Yourself
NOTE: This is a protest, not a petition, sending emails to many real decision makers on matters vital to the Earth.
Caption:
The dismal state of RAN's Old Growth Campaign provides little reason to Revel (link)
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is one of a shrinking group of international environmental NGOs that supports industrial logging of ancient primary and old-growth forests by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Sadly, as RAN prepares to gather for their annual lavish, celebrity studded "Revel" fund-raiser, there is little to celebrate regarding their disjointed and harmful Old Growth Campaign -- legitimate questions regarding their FSC support have been stonewalled, Ontario's continued ancient forest destruction legitimized, and the forest protection movement needlessly divided.
While RAN does good work with coal, biofuel and now oil sands campaigns; it continues to egregiously sell out ancient forests with unquestioning support for FSC certified industrial logging of ancient forests, and by repeatedly promoting and supporting deals that legitimate large scale industrial development of ancient forest wildlands. First they led the sell-out of British Columbia's Great Bear temperate rainforests, and recently gave their stamp of approval to Ontario's continued ancient forest liquidation for vague promises of possible protections in 15 years. RAN's outdated forest protection campaign is a leading threat to the world's life giving forest ecosystems and must be changed or stopped.
Last week Friends of the Earth (FoE) became the first major international NGO to confirm they no longer support FSC certification; which falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging is desirable, benefits the climate, and is even sustainable; and that plantations are forests. FoE is to be commended for responding to recent science showing old-growth's role in carbon removal is under-appreciated, acknowledging FSC's activities in primary and plantation forest greenwashes business as usual destructive practices, and being capable of self-reflection and course adjustments. To the extent RAN still works on forest issues, they obstinately focus upon promoting protected areas in some remaining wildernesses, and making first-time industrial logging less damaging elsewhere, rather than uniting the movement to work for an end to ancient forest logging as the keystone response to the climate and biodiversity crises.
RAN must stop supporting outdated, destructive logging. The following alert lets Revel's many sponsors know they are funding greenwashing of ancient forest devastation -- and asks that RAN immediately review and cease their support for destruction of centuries old ancient trees and their ecosystems. Until RAN does so, there is no chance the world's forests will be protected, and global ecological sustainability achieved. Clearly the time has come for RAN to unite and work with others on an ecologically sufficient campaign to end industrial, first-time ancient forest logging -- the Earth's climate and species depend upon it. Please note, there are two different protest emails to send.
Sample Email Sent
COMING SOON: Forest Greenwash web site linking your company to ancient forest logging
Dear RAN "Revel" sponsor,
Through its support of the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC), the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is legitimizing
the on-going destruction forever of potentially hundreds of
millions of hectares of primary forest. An estimated sixty
percent of FSC timbers come from first time industrial
logging of ancient forests, much in rainforests, and their
current market demand and planned growth depend upon it. No
one knows the precise value because FSC does not provide
this data. FSC-Watch at www.fsc-watch.org documents years
of FSC abuses and falling certification standards.
A new study in the journal Nature finds old-growth forests
are "carbon sinks" and continually absorb new carbon
dioxide. Australian researchers have just found logging
primary forests releases 40 percent of their carbon. These
findings discredit decades of thought that primary forests
can or should be "sustainably" logged, are carbon neutral,
and only young forests continue to remove carbon. And they
cause discomfort for RAN, who has actively supported FSC's
stamp of approval for ancient forest logging for decades.
As a vocal FSC member and supporter, RAN is culpable in
facilitating the logging of the world's last great ancient
forests, critical repositories of biodiversity and
regulators of global climate, which maintain the biosphere
and make the Earth habitable for all species. While RAN
does good works with coal, biofuel and now oil sands
campaigns; it continues to egregiously sell out ancient
forests with unquestioning support for FSC, and by
repeatedly supporting deals that legitimate large scale
industrial development of ancient forest wildlands. They
led the sell-out of British Columbia's Great Bear temperate
rainforests, and recently gave their stamp of approval to
Ontario's continued ancient forest liquidation for vague
promises of possible protections in 15 years.
This is why your sponsoring of Rainforest Action Network's
(RAN) "Revel" fund-raiser on October 16th in San Francisco
is so troubling. RAN is one of a shrinking group of
international NGOs that supports Forest Stewardship
Council's (FSC) certification of ancient forest logging.
FSC falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging
is desirable, benefits the climate, even going so far as to
suggest it is sustainable; and that plantations are
forests. I respectfully ask that you please implore RAN to
review its FSC policy to avoid further protests against
your sponsorship of ancient forest destruction.
Last week Friends of the Earth (FoE) became the first major
international NGO to confirm they no longer support FSC
certification. A growing number of organizations (but not
RAN) realizes ancient forest logging must end as a matter
of planetary survival. Global ecological sustainability
depends critically upon strictly protecting all remaining
relatively natural ecosystems, particularly primary
forests. While there may be a role for certification of
planted and regenerating forests, the era of ancient forest
logging must end if global ecological collapse is to be
averted.
Once united behind a goal of ending ancient forest logging,
the forest protection movement can work to end all
industrial destruction and gain permanent protections for
all remaining primary and old-growth forests (with
appropriate compensation and continued small scale use for
local peoples), promote the ecological restoration and
certified management of regenerating and planted natural
forest ecosystems, and assist local peoples with community
eco-development projects based upon growing secondary and
standing ancient forests. After a hundred years of efforts
to reform industrial logging of primary forests to make it
environmentally acceptable, it is time for a new vision.
Sadly, as RAN gathers for their annual lavish, celebrity
studded "Revel" fund-raiser -- which you are sponsoring --
there is little to celebrate regarding their disjointed and
harmful Old Growth Campaign. In the past year RAN has
stonewalled legitimate questions regarding their FSC
support, legitimized Ontario's ancient forest destruction,
and needlessly divided the forest protection movement. Do
you want to associate your organization and product with
RAN's questionable, outdated support for first-time
industrial logging of the world's last ecologically and
evolutionarily rich and sacred ecosystems?
Please demand RAN immediately cease support for destruction
of centuries-old, carbon-rich ancient trees and their
ecosystems. Until RAN does so, we intend to launch an
international campaign against RAN's product sponsors --
bringing your support of ancient forest logging to the
international community. You can avoid tarnishing your
product's reputation by asking RAN to withdraw from FSC,
and discontinuing your support for RAN's Revel if they
refuse. We hope this is not necessary, and that together we
can work to end ancient forest logging, protect climate and
biodiversity, and achieve global ecological sustainability.
Regards,
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