GREENPEACE BELGIUM PROTESTS CAMEROON LOGGING
Date: 20-May-99
Country: EU
About 20 Greenpeace activists on Monday temporarily blocked the unloading of a timber shipment from Cameroon to protest what it claims are environmentally damaging logging practices.
"We want to protest against unsustainable logging practices in Cameroon," Filip Verbelen, bio-diversity campaigner for Greenpeace Belgium, told Reuters. "It's part of an international campaign that Greenpeace is holding. It's not just on Cameroon."
Although Cameroon is due to enact a ban on log exports on July 1, Verbelen said the dangers to Cameroon's ancient forests would remain as timber would simply be processed locally rather than shipped overseas.
"It doesn't change much if it's processed in the country or directly exported to Europe," Verbelen said. "It doesn't change anything for the forest."
He said Greenpeace had identified eight large timber importers into the Belgian market and one logging company.
According to Greenpeace, the selective logging practices used in Cameroon are just as damaging to ancient forests as the clearcutting methods used in North America.
"They only target very few timber species which are of high value in Europe," Verbelen said.
In addition, although the logging is highly selective, it involves building roads that open access to the forests, resulting in widespread poaching of wildlife, Verbelen said.
Greenpeace activists met with the head of the Belgian timber industry trade group on Monday and expect a second meeting after industry officials meet among themselves next week, Verbelen said.
Timber industry officials said Greenpeace should be talking to the Cameroon government, but Verbelen said Greenpeace also wants more transparency from the industry on its logging practices in Cameroon.
