Together4Forests calls for stricter law to protect European forests
Worldwide, it is cleared every 27 minutes in an area the size of Vienna’s Prater park. The Austrian association Südwind, the WWF Generation Earth youth network and the Jane Goodall Institute join forces to demand a strict European law on forest protection.
From the Circus Maximus in Rome to the forests of Sweden, environmental and human rights organizations across Europe are calling attention to the rapid destruction of the world’s forests with actions in over 14 countries. As part of the “Together4Forests” initiative, the Austrian human rights organization Südwind, the WWF Generation Earth youth network and the Jane Goodall Institute Austria are supporting a tightening of the planned European law with an action in the Prater park in Vienna on forest protection.
According at the speed of global forest destruction, the entire Prater park would be cleared in just 27 minutes. The area would come faster than a visitor could walk from one end of the park to the other. “An internationally effective set of rules is urgently needed to stop the global destruction of forests and to protect the last untouched spaces and their inhabitants”, representatives from Südwind, Generation Earth and the Jane Goodall Institute said. “Products that are the result of the destruction of forests and human rights must no longer be allowed on the shelves of our supermarkets.”
For the European day of action, the Together4Forests initiative is launching an e-mail campaign in all participating member countries. In Austria, organizations against the Minister of Agriculture Elisabeth Köstinger to speak European in favor of a strict law on forest protection and fair trading conditions. The countries of the European Union have a particular responsibility in this regard. Due to the massive importation of tropical agricultural products such as soy, palm oil, beef, timber, cocoa, coffee, rubber and corn, the EU is the second largest responsible for forest destruction after China.
“Deforestation for agricultural land is often linked to human rights communities and violence against indigenous and local communities. An effective international legal framework is needed to combat land grabbing and evictions. The brutal actions of the Brazilian government under Bolsonaro, for example, makes it extremely clear that national rules alone are often not enough, “he says. Joachim Raich, forest protection expert at Südwind, and warns: “A European law on forest protection could be a big step forward, but it is still a long way from protecting human rights. The current bill totally lacks land for indigenous peoples or small farmers, with adequate access to legal tools. “
“With the destruction of untouched natural areas, we are losing our most important allies in fighting the climate crisis and extinction of species. It is not enough to appeal to the conscience of individuals or companies. Instead, we need an effective European supply chain law that protects the basis of life. Enough with the words. Now politicians must do what they are serious about to take concrete measures with controls and sanctions, ”he declares Miriam Prager of WWF’s Generation Earth youth network.
“Due to the increasing destruction of forests, wildlife habitats are shrinking, which in turn becomes a danger to us humans as well. The COVID-19 epidemic has shown that wild animals in contact with humans promote the transmission of deadly diseases. Human beings, animals and the environment are strictly interconnected. If we don’t learn to treat other living things and ecosystems carefully, other infectious diseases could be imminent. It is also in our thinking about the future: we are part of our environment and the preservation of intact nature also protects us humans “, underlines Diana Leizinger, general director of the Jane Goodall Institute Austria.
Email campaign for a strong European law on forest protection
The EU Forest Protection Act has the potential to become a milestone in global nature conservation – provided that existing gaps are filled. The Together4Forests initiative therefore asks the Minister of Agriculture Elisabeth Köstinger for a full commitment to a legal framework initiative in an e-mail action:
- Products placed on the European market must be and sustainable and not deviliate on the destruction of nature or the violation of human rights. In addition to rainforests, other valuable ecosystems (savannas, grasslands and moors) must be included in the law from the start.
- The rules must be the same for all companies and ensure that their products and supply chains are well traceable and transparent to the public.
- For the law to work in practice, there must be clear rules for enforcement and severe sanctions for compliance with non-compliance in all EU Member States.
Email campaign for a strict forest protection law:
www.wwf.at/together4forests-aktion
Download photos of the action at European level:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EnnVsR-j67Dqke3YGyF_zucgspRXRxJj
Details of the European Together4Forests initiative: https://insieme4forests.eu/
The original press release can be read here
Translated from the German by Thomas Schmid.
Review by Anna Polo