The “Whatever it Takes: Greenpeace‘s anti-forestry campaign in PNG” report, by ITS Global for PNG timber company Rimbunan Hijau Group, says that Greenpeace is not interested in developing sustainable commercial forestry in PNG but wants to secure a tactical victory to support “its global campaign to stop commercial forestry”.
The report also alleges that WWF effectively controls the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which, the document claims, penalises developing countries such as PNG because its high standards cannot be implemented where there is poor governance.
Pat Vendetti, Greenpeace UK senior forest campaigner, described the report as a “desperate” attempt by Rimbunan to shore up its market in the face of a successful Greenpeace campaign to highlight illegal logging in the country. He said Greenpeace was not against commercial logging, but wanted to see an end to the type of operations practised in PNG.
“There is very little timber coming out of PNG’s commercial logging operations that can be deemed to responsibly harvested,” he said.
Meanwhile, WWF dismissed claims it runs FSC, saying the body was independent. It also rejected the report’s suggestion that buying FSC-certified products was a condition of joining the WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network.
“Despite the fact that the PNG government recognises the FSC as a ‘voluntary’ certification scheme, the International Timber market is otherwise showing FSC or equivalent schemes are mandatory,” said Michael Avosa, WWF-PNG’s country programme manager.
