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German Head Office Langemarckstr. 210 28199 Bremen Germany
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Press Office Nernstweg 32 22765 Hamburg Germany
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Resorts: News/Environment Hamburg's decision on the public purchase of tropical timber on the brink of failureROBIN WOOD warns: Hamburg cannot ignore indigenous peoples' needsDespite strong criticism Hamburg's Financial Council wants to discuss the recognition of the Malaysian certificate for tropical timber MTCC in a meeting this Thursday. ROBIN WOOD, Greenpeace, the WWF and the trade union IG B.A.U. have declined to take part in these "round-table talks”. They unanimously reject the Malaysian forestry's certificate, which in their eyes does not stand for a socially acceptable and ecologically sustainable forestry. To prevent any controversial compromises from being met in the purchase of timber for council buildings in Hamburg ROBIN WOOD activists decided to climb up on the Financial Council's roof to voice their protest and display the banner: "Hamburg stay on track – this is a logging-path".The MTCC-certificate for tropical timber (by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council) does not fulfil the requirements of an internationally recognised certificate as stated in Hamburg's decision on the public purchase of tropical timber. The Malaysian certificate serves the sole purpose of supporting the country's timber industry but ignores the indigenous peoples' land claims. Leading organisations of Malaysia's indigenous peoples reject the certificate as none of their objections have been taken into account. The certificate is furthermore lacking an independent body to approve the certification of products, which is done by the MTCC itself. More than 230,000 ha of tropical rainforest are being destroyed in Malaysia every year; commercial logging is to be blamed for the greater part of it. Forest nomads such as the Penan people are desperately trying to defend themselves against the destruction of remaining areas of habitation. "As a member of the Climate Group Hamburg is obliged to respect the rights of indigenous peoples in the tropics and to contribute to the protection of tropical forests. Should Hamburg decide to accept this certificate, which promotes the trade in tropical timber, the council would deliberately ignore the indigenous peoples' needs", states Jens Wieting, ROBIN WOOD's Expert on Tropical Rainforests. Instead of considering the recognition of questionable certificates the council would be better advised to take its membership in the Climate Group more seriously and to observe its decision on the public purchase of tropical timber. Only recently a CCH parquet of tropical timber from unknown origin was laid in a public building. Hamburg cannot continue to contribute to the rapid destruction of the last remains of native tropical forests.
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©ROBIN WOOD