Larry Williams
Director, International Programs
Sierra Club
408 C Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
FAX: 202-547-6009
EcoNet SCDC1
U.S. PEDDLES EMPTY FOREST PRINCIPLES TO G-7 LEADERS
The U.S. government is planning to ask the G-7 leaders at the July Economic
Summit meeting in London to endorse its proposed "Principles for a Global
Forest Convention/Agreement" as the basis for a global forest agreement.
The proposed principles, while promising support for cooperative stewardship
of the worlds forests, is in reality a hollow promise -- an empty vessel
--which, if adopted, would obligate no nation to make any concrete
commitments to protecting their forests.
*The preservation of the primary forests must be the basis of a sound forest
agreement --
The forest principles document put forward by the U.S. Department of State
fails to acknowledge that the most effective strategy for the protection of
the vast storehouse of biological diversity found in the worlds forests is
the protection of primary forests. The reason for this "oversight" is
clear; a promise to protect the worlds remaining primary forests with high
biodiversity values might put increased pressure on the U.S. government to
protecting its own old growth forests.
Environmentalists are calling on the G-7 leaders to reject the U.S. proposal
as the hollow and empty gesture it is. Alternatively environmental
organizations are urging the G-7 industrial nations to make a commitment to
supporting a forest agreement that would contain as its bases THE
PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD'S PRIMARY FORESTS. Halting the destruction of
these primary natural forests should be the highest priority of any
agreement due to their importance to forest dwelling and indigenous people,
their role in preserving biodiversity and their importance in climate
stabilization.
*Why is the U.S. bringing these principles to the Summit?
At the 1990 Economic Summit meeting in Houston the G- 7 leaders, agreed to a
U.S. initiative to develop a "global forest convention" to stem the
destruction of forests worldwide. Environmentalists agree that a concerted
international cooperative effort to protect forest resources is needed to
assure a rational program of forest management designed to secure
environmental integrity and to realize, where appropriate, continued
economic productivity.
Having convinced the other G-7 leaders to agree to negotiate a world forest
agreement the U.S. Government soon realized that it would be impossible to
hammer out the terms of such an agreement in time for the June 1992 United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Brazil. As an
alternative to having a draft treaty ready for the conference, the U.S. has
opted to have a set of forest principles ratified at the UNCED which have
been endorsed by the G-7. These forest principles would then be the bases
for a global forest convention.
As an alternative to the United States the U.S. based Consortium for Action
to Protect the Earth (CAPE) is urging the adoption of the following
principles by the G-7 which could then be the bases for a global forest
agreement:
PROPOSED EARTH CHARTER FOREST PRINCIPLES
A. Protect primary forests. The main objective of any international
agreement on forests should be the conservation of primary forests,
including native or mature natural forests, wherever they are located, --
high latitude, temperate, or tropical. The world's remaining primary
forests, which are disappearing at an ever increasing rate, should be a
priority focus due to their importance to forest dwelling and indigenous
peoples; their role in preserving biodiversity; and, their contribution in
climate stabilization.
B. Involve indigenous and local people and nongovernmental organizations.
In many regions, forests are home to millions of people. Millions more live
near forests and depend on them for their daily needs -- whether it for
sustenance, recreational or spiritual purposes. Citizens whose well-being is
linked to forest resources must be involved in decisions affecting the use
and management of the forest resources upon which they depend, as should
citizens who seek long term conservation of forests as basic to an
environmentally sensible approach to the future.
C. Recognize of the role of forests in preserving biodiversity. Forests are
the most diverse natural systems on the planet. More than 90 percent of the
world's land-dwelling plants and animals inhabit forests. Reducing
deforestation rates, especially of primary forests, and establishing
protected areas are the two measures most likely to curb the accelerated
loss of biodiversity.
D. Recognize CO2 sequestration and reservoir benefits provided by forests.
Forests play an important role in regulating climatic cycles. While growing
forests can serve to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, mature forests
are an important carbon reservoir. If burned or cleared, a large portion of
this carbon is released into the atmosphere. Conservation of forests as
carbon reserves, therefore, represents the most effective way to reduce net
emissions from biotic sources. Any agreement related to global climate
change must consider forest, in particular primary forests, and their carbon
storage capacity as a factor of major importance.
E. Recognize other ecosystem services and social benefits provided by
forests. In addition to sequestering carbon and moderating climate, intact
forests provide many ecological services, such as reducing soil erosion,
protecting watersheds and coastal ecosystems, and supporting a variety of
economic and recreational resources. Given the wide array of such services
any agreement should be cross- sectoral and not limited to forestry.