ACTION ALERT: Austrian Companies to Destroy Indonesian Rainforests
TAKE ACTION
The last thing Indonesia's rainforests need now is more pulp and wood mills
http://forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=indonesia
Two major Austrian corporations are constructing and financing a huge pulp mill and wood chip mill in South Kalimantan, Indonesia by the company "United Fiber System" (UFS). Andritz AG and RZB of Austria are reported to be financing the destruction of at least 113,000 hectares of largely intact tropical rainforest.
The UFS's pulp project consists of two separate projects on Borneo: a pulp mill is planned for the southern-most tip of South Kalimantan, and the wood chip mill is already under construction on the island of Pulau Laut. Pulp produced will be sold mainly to China, Japan and South Korea. The Indonesian pulp industry already has a shortage of fiberwood plantations, and the construction of these two new projects would result in further over-capacity, compounding the industry's unsustainability of wood supply. Meeting the fiberwood needs of these new pulp behemoths would require extensive new plantations to be planted. This shortfall severely threatens endangered lowland tropical rainforests found within the concession area and region. A complete loss of aquatic sea life near the pulp mill, loss of mangrove forests for a deep sea port, and an increase is disease are also expected. European companies with reputations of being environmentally aware are acting in an irresponsible manner when involved in industrial projects which destroy ancient rainforests. Please ask Austrian financing companies to withdraw from the projects and to end their business relation with United Fiber System. Please take action now at http://forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=indonesia
