Agreement On Forests Fails To Tackle Deforestation

Australia ­ Indonesian Agreement on Forests Fails to Tackle Deforestation and Climate Change

A new agreement signed at APEC between Indonesia and Australia on forests would do little to tackle deforestation and climate change which need global action, Greenpeace said today.

"Deforestation is rampant in the Asia-Pacific, with forest loss accelerating. Deforestation accounts for nearly a fifth of global C02 emissions", said Greenpeace Head of Campaigns, Steve Campbell.

"Country to country agreements are not enough to stop deforestation or prevent dangerous climate change. A real global reduction in greenhouse emissions from deforestation requires an international system to prevent logging operations shifting from area to area, or from one country to the next.

"The APEC agreement also fails to specifically protect old growth forests. But replacing old growth forests with plantations is not the solution ­ especially when it comes to biodiversity protection - orangutans cannot live in plantations."

"Like yesterday's declaration on climate change, the Australian initiative is a distraction, as are the project by project schemes being proposed via APEC.

"If APEC nations wanted to make real progress on forest protection they would work to ban the import of illegal timber into their countries and support efforts to protect old growth forests through a new global mechanism under Kyoto.

Australia's imports of illegally logged timber currently stand at $400million a year ­ but the Howard Government refuses to introduce a ban.

"The Australian Government is continuing to make developing nations take the blame to distract attention from their own lack of action on climate change.

Indonesia's Environment Minister, Rachmat Witoelar, said in an ABC interview on Friday that the few hundred million dollars Australia has committed won't solve too many problems.

ENDS

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