World Rainforest Movement expresses strong criticism of the FSC in its statement reacting to the news that Veracel’s monoculture eucalyptus plantations are now FSC certified. WRM notes that Veracel is the “last piece in a chain of failures” by FSC.
Plantations
How the FSC broke, then further weakened, its rules on pesticides
In December 2006, FSC-Watch reported on how the FSC had bowed to pressure from the plantation industry to ‘freeze’ implementation of its pesticides policy, which prohibits the use of a chemicals included on FSC’s ‘banned’ list. Under a decision taken by the International Board, FSC decided to extend until the end of June 2007 the deadline by which forestry companies had to apply for special ‘derogation’ permission to continue using banned chemicals. But FSC-Watch can now reveal that FSC has conspired to allow use of banned chemicals even where no derogation has been granted – and has now removed one of the major ‘safeguards’ that ensured that pesticide derogations were supported by local stakeholders.
Military Police violently evict women protesters from Stora Enso’s plantations in Brazil
On Tuesday, 4th March 2008, about 900 women from the International Peasant Movement Via Campesina were violently evicted by the Military Police from an area of 2,100 hectares of Stora Enso’s plantations at the Tarumã Farm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. According to a statement from Via Campesina about 60 women were badly injured and 800 were arrested. Meanwhile, 250 children at the camp were separated from their parents. Tents were destroyed and tools taken from the women.
Galicia, Spain: formal complaint submitted against NORFOR and ASI
The Galician environmental group Asociacion Pola Defensa da Ria (APDR) has submitted a formal complaint to the FSC about the certification of plantation company NORFOR and the assessment of it’s certifier, SGS that was undertaken by FSC’s Accreditation Services International. In their complaint, APDR argues that the FSC-ASI report on SGS’s certification of NORFOR is not only of very low quality, but it also fails to address the majority of the criticisms of NORFOR presented by a number of NGOs. Although the FSC-ASI report on the certification recognises a serious lack of compliance with FSC’s principles and criteria, it does not analyse more controversial points such as relations with local communities and benefits from the forests.
How Woodmark certifies Sappi’s monocultures but ignores a “stakeholder” in Swaziland
A few weeks ago, I visited Swaziland, as part of a trip with World Rainforest Movement colleagues. We visited Sappi’s stinking, polluting Usutu pulp mill and drove through Sappi’s pine monocultures – FSC certified by Woodmark.
Banned chemicals used in FSC-certified nurseries in Uruguay
RAP-AL Uruguay recently published a report on “Working conditions and agrochemical use in Eufores (Ence) and FOSA (Botnia) nurseries”. Both of these operations are FSC-certified. The report, written by María Isabel Cárcamo, is based on research carried out at the nurseries.
The full report (in Spanish) is available here. RAP-AL is The Latin American Network of Action on Pesticides and their Alternatives (La Red de Acción en Plaguicidas y sus Alternativas de América Latina).
The people or the paper industry?
Press release from Geasphere, South Africa:
Veracel certification would be yet another disaster for FSC
Press release from World Rainforest Movement, 17 September 2007:
FSC-certified plantations suck Sudwala caves dry
Philip Owen of Geasphere in South Africa circulated this statement and article about the impacts of Sappi’s FSC-certified plantations on the water flow in the Sudwala Caves.
Swaziland: fires in certified plantations spark national emergency
The government of Swaziland declared a national emergency earlier this month after fierce fires swept northern parts of the country, killing dozens of people and livestock and destroying hundreds of homes. The fires started in the FSC-certified plantations run by the Mondi company in the Piggs Peaks region, and also affected part of an FSC-certified plantation owned by another South African pulp and paper conglomerate, Sappi.
FSC-Watch 