Put Higher Environmental Demands on Imported Wood from Russia and the Baltic States
Copyright 2000
WWF Sweden and Taiga Rescue Network:
December 8, 2000
PRESS RELEASE
A new report (1) from WWF Sweden (2) and the international forest network Taiga Rescue Network (3) reveals that Swedish timber importers can not ensure that their wood supplies from Russia and the Baltic States originate from well-managed forests.
“There are forests of very high conservation value in Russia and the Baltic states. The new report shows that the Swedish timber import may contribute to the fragmentation of these forests if the importing companies don’t put demands on their suppliers”, says Stefan Bleckert, director of the WWF Sweden forest program. “Swedish timber importers have an important responsibility and we must increase the cooperation to develop timber trade that promotes ecological and social values.I
mporters have been examined in the report. Aspects studied are the companies’ guidelines for timber imports and their knowledge on the own activities´ ecological and social consequences in the countries of origin. Sweden is one of the world’s largest roundwood importers and the import from Russia and the Baltic states has increased dramatically during the 90´s. Estimates indicate that this increase will continue. Many of the largest importers are Swedish pulp and paper producers, such as SÖDRA, StoraEnso and Holmen.
The report shows that Swedish importers usually know the rough geographic origin of the wood. However, the knowledge on the impact of the supplying forest management on biodiversity and local communities is close to non-existent. Many importers cannot guarantee that they aren’t buying timber from high-conservation value forests. The importers claim to trust their suppliers to follow the laws of the countries of origin. However, a recent report from Russia shows that at least 20 % of all timber harvested in the country originates from loggings violating Russian legislation. (4)-“The companies need to develop systems to avoid negative environmental impact”, says Elisa Peter, International Coordinator of the Taiga Rescue Network. “We have, in cooperation with a range of other NGOs, developed guidelines for responsible timber trade. Amongst other things it is of utmost importance that all timber is traced back to the forest of origin. Furthermore the companies should give preference to FSC-certified suppliers” .For more information:
Per Larsson, WWF Sweden,
(1) Towards Responsible Swedish Timber Trade? A Survey of Actors and
Origin of Timber from Russia and the Baltic States is available in pdf at www.taigarescue.org and http://imgwiz.odelius.se/wwf/atts/swedish_timber.pdf
(2) The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is the world’s leading nature conservation organization with 27 different national organizations all overthe world. WWF Sweden works with nature conservation in five program areas: Agricultural landscape, youth & education, freshwater & wetlands, sea & coasts and forests. An important part of the forest program is to develop FSC-certified forest management.
(3) The Taiga Rescue Network (TRN) is an international network of environmental organizations and indigenous peoples working for the
protection and sustainable use of the world´s boreal forests. TRN was founded in 1992 to promote sensitive development in the boreal region. The network currently has 180 participating organizations from around the world, including WWF Sweden.
(4) The Report Illegal Forest Felling Activities in Russia is available at www.forest.ru
!!!NEW EMAIL:
TAIGA RESCUE NETWORK
International Coordination Center
Box 116, Ajtte, S-962 23 Jokkmokk, Sweden Tel. +46-971-17039
Fax. +46-971-12057
www.taigarescue.org