07/14/00 -- Greenpeace Ends Successful Timber Protest in Portugal

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Greenpeace Ends Successful Timber Protest in Portugal

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07/14/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

Greenpeace continues their protests against the illegal tropical

timber trade in a lead up to the G-8 meeting in Okinawa, Japan. In

Portugal, four Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a ship mast

to protest against a cargo of timber from Cameroon, where illegal

logging is widespread and threatens to destroy pristine rain forests.

A parallel protest has been being carried out in Spain. These

protests are raising awareness, and having impact, as Portugal's

government has agreed to clamp down on the thriving predatory tropical

timber trade.

g.b.

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ITEM #1

Title: Greenpeace Ends Timber Protest in Portugal

Date: July 14, 2000

By: Martin Roberts

LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) - Greenpeace activists Friday ended a 90-

hour protest chained to the masts of a ship after Portugal agreed to

help clamp down on illegal tropical timber trade, the environmental

watchdog said.

The four protesters had boarded the Cypriot-registered Aegis Monday

night to try to stop the vessel unloading a cargo of timber from

Cameroon, where illegal logging of rare timber was commonplace,

Greenpeace forest campaigner Tim Birch said.

The Aegis managed to dock and unload the timber at the northern

Portuguese port of Leixoes, but the government ordered it to remain in

customs sheds until tests could show whether the cargo included

endangered timber.

``More than 2,000 logs have been unloaded, so we've just finished

bearing witness to an environmental crime,'' Birch said.

The international watchdog estimates only 20 percent of the world's

ancient forests are left, and that number is falling.

The protest was called off after the prime minister's cabinet office

promised high-level meetings with environmental groups on how to

combat imports of endangered timber.

A spokesman said the environment ministry awaited the outcome of tests

on the origin of the Aegis' cargo. If the timber were shown to be

endangered the ship's charterers would be fined and the logs

destroyed.

A parallel Greenpeace protest continued across the border in Spain

aimed at drawing attention to another shipment of timber from

Cameroon, Birch said.

Greenpeace was delivering evidence to the Spanish government that the

timber on board the Maltese-flagged Ranger I came from companies

operating illegally in the central African nation.

Spanish police had dislodged and arrested four protesters in a dinghy

attached to the anchor chain of the Ranger I, which then managed to

dock in Villagarcia de Arosa, in Spain's northwest Galicia region.

But more protesters had chained themselves to the ship's masts and

dockside cranes to prevent the Ranger I unloading.

Birch said Greenpeace would continue similar protests elsewhere in

Europe to put pressure for government leaders to take firmer action to

protect rainforests at a G-8 meeting set to begin in Okinawa, Japan,

on July 21.

ITEM #2

Title: Greenpeace protests rare timber trade in Portugal

Date: July 11, 2000

By: Martin Roberts

Four Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the masts of a ship in

Portugal today to protest against a cargo of timber from an endangered

African rain forest, the international environmental watchdog said.

Greenpeace forest campaigner Tim Birch said the cargo came from

Cameroon where illegal logging was widespread and threatened to

destroy one of the world's last remaining pristine rain forests.

"All timber on this vessel has come from wanton destruction of the

Cameroon rain forest. We want the Portuguese government to take action

to prevent these imports," Birch told Reuters.

"Globally now we have 20 percent of ancient forest left around the

planet. Time is running out to save these forests," he said.

He was speaking in the port of Leixoes, about 210 miles north of

Lisbon, where the protest was staged.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres promised an investigation

into whether the shipment contained illegally cut wood.

"If illegality were to exist ... . I think there should not be any

complacency on our part toward this illegality, if this is true. I

will ask the appropriate authorities to verify whether this is true,"

Guterres told journalists.

Birch said the activists chained to the masts of the Cypriot-

registered Aegis were prepared to remain there for days while the

vessel traveled to other ports of call in the Netherlands and Germany.

"They're very, very experienced climbers and they've done this

regularly. They know what's involved and they're very committed,"

Birch added.

The activists boarded the Aegis late Monday as it was about to dock in

Leixoes, unfurled a banner saying "Stop African rain forest crime" and

renamed the vessel by painting "African forest crime" on its port

side, he said.

Another three activists from Greenpeace and the Portuguese

environmental group Quercus chained themselves to a moveable bridge at

the entry to Leixoes harbor, but were arrested and due to face charges

today.

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