Ancient forest threatened
by industrial logging to make cheap copy paper
and magazines.
23/03/2005 — Copy paper giant Xerox has announced
that it will stop using fibre from Sámi
Reindeer Forests in northern Finland. This
is a small but significant victory in the
campaign to save some of the last ancient
forest in Europe.
The indigenous Sámi peoples still practice
traditional reindeer herding in Arctic Lapland,
relying on remaining old-growth forests to
provide vital food for their reindeer during
the cold winter months. But their forest is
being industrially logged for the production
of pulp and paper - ending up as magazine
and copy paper throughout Europe.
This is why Xerox's announcement is good news
for Finland's ancient forests. In fact it
should be good news for many forests if Xerox
keeps its word. As part of our ongoing correspondence,
Xerox has informed us of the adoption of a
new procurement policy, ensuring that suppliers
do not source timber from 'old-growth forests,
conservation areas or other areas designated
for protection'.
Under siege
Traditional reindeer herding is threathened
by industrial logging.
However the Finnish reindeer forest is still
under siege as many other companies are profiting
from the destruction. The Finnish state logging
company logs supposedly protected areas. Most
of these logs go to Finland's largest paper
company StoraEnso to be turned into paper
and sold as magazines and copy paper.
Up in the frozen north, we have our Forest
Rescue Station to help defend the rights of
the Sámi peoples against industrial
logging. We have been helping mark their lands
as protected for reindeer herding. We are
pressuring the Finnish government to stop
logging in protected areas. We are asking
StoraEnso to stop profiting from the destruction
and writing to ask StoraEnso customers to
pressure the company. Xerox has been one of
the first to respond.
Help save the Reindeer forests!
We can't do this alone - we need your help.
We are still here in Arctic Lapland working
with the Sámi reindeer herders to ensure
that the Finnish paper industry doesn't sell
out these forests to make cheap magazine and
copy paper products. Help us defend these
forests from being logged by the Finnish government's
own logging company, Metsähallitus and
sold for pulp and paper production.
Write to StoraEnso and the Ministry of Finance,
who are the largest single shareholder in
the company. We already know they are feeling
the international pressure and ministers are
complaining about getting 1000's of messages
- so keep up the pressure!
