| EIB challenged over pulp mill loan Representatives of Brazil’s ‘Alert against the Green Desert’ coalition were in Brussels in October to urge the European Investment Bank (EIB) to reject a 70 million euro loan request for the construction of the Veracel pulp mill in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Located next to Veracel’s 65,000ha eucalyptus plantation, the pulp mill would be the largest single line production in the world with the capacity to produce 900,000 tonnes of pulp per year. The project has attracted severe criticism from indigenous peoples’ organisations, NGOs, and academics in Brazil, who under the umbrella of the ‘Alert against the Green Desert’, have voiced their opposition to the project. In their meeting with the EIB, the campaigners stated that the pulp mill and plantations would exacerbate land concentration issues, displace small-scale agriculturalists, cause economic dependence on a single export product, use excessive pesticides and herbicides, and worsen social inequalities. In response, the Bank said that it was satisfied with Veracel’s environmental impact assessment, and that social issues were the concern of local authorities. It also asked the coalition to substantiate its criticisms with hard data, while refusing to share its own evaluation of the project. If the EIB wants evidence, it does not have far to look. The Veracel projects are a joint venture between Stora Enso Oyj of Finland and Aracruz Cellulose SA of Brazil. Aracruz’s track record alone should be enough to raise concern. In the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo it has occupied vast areas of fertile lands, caused land rights’ conflicts, and generated complaints about pesticide pollution of soil and water. The EIB’s support for this project will raise significant questions about EU coherence. As the official financing institution of the European Union, the Bank should be aware that the European Commission’s Country Strategy Paper for Brazil prioritises environmental protection and poverty reduction. It is hard to see how the EIB can justify investing millions of euros in an export-oriented, industrial-scale project, which will monopolise thousands of hectares of land and soak up government resources, while EC funds for sustainable agriculture and rural projects – much demanded by local communities – are small in comparison. Further information is available from marcelo.fase@terra.com.br |
Illegal logging: Council conclusions set stage for legislation On 13 October the Council of the European Union confirmed a series of measures designed to tackle the EU’s vast illegal timber imports. In issuing its final conclusions on the European Commission’s Action Plan on illegal logging, the Council supported several key points proposed by NGOs. These include support for land tenure and access rights, and the “participation of all stakeholders, notably non-state actors and indigenous peoples, in policy making and implementation”. So far so good, but a tougher test is ahead. The next step in the process will be the development of a Regulation which will allow the EU to make bilateral agreements with producer countries. This will form the basis of voluntary licensing schemes to identify legal timber. Once set up, these schemes will be the only means of proving timber imports come from a legal source. Independent monitoring is therefore crucial to their credibility and success, but this is vulnerable to political wrangling, as the Kimberley Process on Diamonds shows. We hope the EU will not wobble. Meanwhile, member states have a key role to play in building momentum. There is scope for national governments to crack down on illegal timber using existing legislation: money laundering, stolen goods and public procurement are areas with potential. NGOs should alert their governments to developments and identify opportunities for test cases to ensure member states are well informed about the debate. |
“Integrate environment!” says ACP-EU body On October 10, MEPs from the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution1 calling for the European Commission and the Africa Caribbean Pacific (ACP) beneficiary countries to put the sustainable management of natural resources at the heart of Country Strategy Papers – the official documents that say how EC aid will be spent. The report2 behind the resolution questions whether the numerous EU policy papers and co-operation agreements integrating environment into the development process have been implemented. It states that the mainstreaming of environmental consideration in the six priority themes for EC development co-operation is weak or absent, and the importance of natural resources for the poor has been downplayed in country and regional aid programmes. The authors want to see the Commission stop its over-reliance on environmental impact assessments as the main form of environmental integration in aid programming. With the mid-term review of ACP Country Strategy Papers scheduled for 2004, FERN hopes the Commission and its partner countries will listen to the message of the MEPs, and deliver mid-term review guidelines ensuring that environmental concerns are taken into better account, and that the process is both transparent and open to civil society. 1 ACP-EU 3590/03/fin. 2 “Sustainable management and conservation of natural resources in ACP countries in the context of the 9th EDF”- ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly |
Biodiversity Action Plan poorly implemented The EC Biodiversity Action Plan for economic and development co-operation has not been well followed-up and scores poorly on achievements, according to the European Commission, member states and NGO participants at a DG Environment meeting in October. The Action Plan was adopted by the Commission in March 2001 to integrate biodiversity protection into EU development and co-operation policies. It stems from a promise made in the EC Biodiversity Strategy (1998), where the Commission said it would spell out precisely how it planned to achieve the objectives of the Strategy and implement the Convention on Biological Diversity. Reasons for the poor performance are manifold and include lack of ownership, political profile, capacity and human resources; inadequate mainstreaming of the environment in development targets; and inadequate awareness and action in member states. A meeting will be held in January to explore new ways forward. To make this worthwhile, FERN is calling for a concerted review of the Action Plan’s objectives and targets, to ensure they match the priorities of the EC development policy and programmes, and for the establishment of a timetable and indicators of effectiveness. |
No surprises at AFLEG Cameroon and the World Bank jointly hosted the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) ministerial meeting in October. The event opened with ministerial speeches, followed by 21 expert presentations. The US and EU presentations contrasted sharply. First came the US, vague and self-congratulatory, followed by the EU’s more modest overview of its Action Plan on illegal logging, and the opportunities it provides. On the second day, government representatives privately negotiated a Ministerial Declaration, whilst NGOs and the private sector were kept busy in workshops. This gave the various stakeholders, bar the negotiators, a chance to exchange views on illegal logging in Africa, its root causes and solutions. The seven-page Declaration that emerged offered something for all, but does not provide a concrete list of actions linked to a firm timetable. On the whole it is rather disappointing, but no one seemed surprised. |
NEW PUBLICATIONS Funding Made Easy (€29) Ninth edition of the guide to EU funding for NGOs by the Euro Citizen Action Service. From: isabelle.d@ecas.org. Forest Management Transparency, Governance and the Law Case studies from Central Africa, plus recommendations. From: Forest Monitor, CED and Rainforest Foundation UK. Certifying the Uncertifiable: FSC Certification of Tree Plantations in Thailand and Brazil. Catalogues problems of two case studies. From: World Rainforest Movement. Plantations are not forests. Collection of global horror stories and detailed analysis. From: World Rainforest Movement. Pulping the Mekong: Who’s involved? Identifies actors and collates information. From: WRM, Oxfam America, TERRA. Forest Law Enforcement in Cameroon. Second summary report of the independent observer. Includes CD of field reports and video. From: Global Witness. |
Forest Agenda 3-12 November: International Tropical Timber Council, 35th session, Yokohama, Japan. 1-12 December: COP9 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Milan, Italy. 11-12 December: NGO stratgey meeting on certification schemes, Brussels.Organised by FERN. |
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| PHOTO: Kakamega
Forest. Half of Kenya’s only tropical rainforest has already been lost. What is left provides a unique sanctuary for biodiversity and a vital resource for local people, many of whom depend on it for fuel, medicine and food. Credit: A. Arbib. |