By
Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet
-
September 26, 2008
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 RAN's outdated forest protection campaign is a leading threat to the world's life giving forest ecosystems and must be changed or stopped.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RAN must stop supporting outdated, destructive logging.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.