GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL: PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR
ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOREST USE
CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION:
- The need for a new relationship with forests
- A forest is more than just trees
- The purpose of this document
I. PRINCIPLES FOR RESPECTFUL HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WITH FORESTS
II. GUIDELINES FOR RESPECTFUL FOREST USE
III. SOME PROHIBITED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
ANNEX: DEFINITION OF TERMS
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INTRODUCTION:
THE NEED FOR A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH FORESTS
Humanity depends for its survival on the healthy functioning of
the planet's natural ecosystems, including forests. Forests are
home to the vast majority of the earth's rich evolutionary
heritage of species. In conserving this heritage, Greenpeace
seeks ways to value all living beings without devaluing humans.
Forests provide many essential services such as regulating
climate
and cycling nutrients and water. They are sources of food,
fibre,
fuel, medicines, and building materials which underpin the human
economy, and of cultural and spiritual values which give meaning
to human societies.
Forests sustain us, but we are not sustaining them. Centuries
of
escalating predatory human use of forests has reduced, degraded,
destroyed and even completely eliminated forest ecosystems.
Hundreds of thousands of forest-dependent species face extinction
in the next few decades from destructive forest use.
Today many of the principal threats to forests come from
industrialised societies. This is due to the large-scale and
intensity of forest exploitation practices, and to wasteful and
irresponsible consumption of forest products.
Greenpeace believes that industrial societies must redefine their
relationships with forest ecosystems. Rather than predatory
relationships towards forests, Greenpeace calls for respectful
relationships. Both production practices and consumption
patterns
must be adjusted to levels which do not threaten the biological
diversity and sustainability of forest ecosystems.
To further this goal, Greenpeace advocates that management of
forest ecosystems be based on the study and application of the
ecological properties of natural forests. Management processes
must mimic natural processes and maintain ecosystem integrity.
In
effect, the lead role for determining how to manage forests
should
be provided by nature.
At present, human knowledge about the ecological properties and
species composition of natural forests is profoundly limited.
Extensive and comprehensive protected areas are necessary as a
precaution against inadvertent and irreversible damage from
forest
use. Only in this way can the full diversity of forest
structures, functions and dynamics be protected and maintained.
Precedents for respectful human relationships with forests do
exist among many indigenous peoples. In this regard, upholding
their rights, respecting their cultures and incorporating their
ecological wisdom into forest management planning will be an
essential and necessary step towards the goal of establishing a
respectful relationship between industrial societies and forests.
FORESTS ARE MORE THAN JUST TREES
Forests are diverse communities of species forming a complex web
of life. Together they sustain the whole, not the production of
any one part or commodity. The web of mutual dependencies in
forests exists at all scales, from the microscopic to the global.
Trees, the most obvious part of a forest, are critical structural
members of a forest framework. However, living trees are only
a
portion of the structure needed for a fully functioning forest.
There are no isolated components in a forest, only steady
transitions between various living and non-living parts.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT
Worldwide, the public is well aware that forests are under attack
and that the harvesting practices widely used by logging
industries are intolerably destructive. Furthermore, the
environmental and human rights movements have demonstrated that
destruction of temperate and tropical forests is often stimulated
by consumer demand in distant markets, particularly in
industrialised countries. Growing consumer markets in
industrialising countries are also playing an increasing role.
Many individuals, corporations and governments now acknowledge
their responsibility as consumers in causing forest destruction.
Some are taking steps to end that negative role, and play a more
positive one. This new consumer ethic is progressively altering
the international marketplace for forest products.
Greenpeace believes that consumers have an obligation to minimize
their impacts on forest ecosystems through strengthening markets
for ecologically sound forest products, and by reducing, reusing
and recycling the forest products they use.
Inevitably, forest industry claims of sustainable forest
practices
are proliferating. These are based on a range of different,
often
conflicting, and typically inadequate standards. They provide
little information or confidence to either consumers, or the
groups challenging destructive forestry operations.
Greenpeace is involved in efforts to develop international
criteria for respectful forest use. Our work has included input
to the draft standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, and
dialogue with governments, industry, communities and small-scale
operations.
In response to inquiries from policy makers, producers and
consumers of forest products, Greenpeace is making available the
following principles and guidelines which it has developed for
ecologically responsible forest use.
Greenpeace believes that these principles and guidelines are
globally applicable. We are preparing reports that describe the
more detailed application of these principles in several specific
forest regions. We are also working on the development of
guidelines for the social and economic aspects of forest use,
with
particular attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and
forest-dependent communities.
We foresee an evolutionary process of further development and
periodic revisions of these principles and guidelines. Comments
and suggestions are desired and welcomed.
I. PRINCIPLES OF RESPECTFUL HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS WITH FORESTS.
I.1. CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
I.1.1 Forest ecosystems must be protected and maintained at all
scales, from the microscopic to the ecosystem level.
I.1.2. The native biological diversity of forests must be
protected and maintained at all spatial scales and through all
time frames.
I.1.3. The ecological structure, function and dynamics of
forests,
including water, soil, and nutrient cycles, landforms, and micro-
climate must be protected and maintained, or where degraded by
past human activities, restored.
I.1.4 The ecological knowledge of indigenous peoples in relation
to forests must be recognized, respected, valued and applied as
a
critical part of defining ecologically responsible forest use.
I.2. THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
I.2.1. Where there is a threat of reduction or loss of
biological
diversity or other irreversible environmental impacts, lack of
full scientific certainty shall not be used a reason for
postponing measures to avoid such threats.
I.2.2 Forest planning and practices shall err on the side of
precaution.
I.3. RIGHTS AND PARTICIPATION
I.3.1. The customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use,
manage and conserve their lands, territories, and resources must
be recognised and respected in all forest management plans.
I.3.2 The public has the right to open and accountable planning
processes for forest use. Forest use decisions must provide for
the meaningful participation of those sectors of the public
affected by proposed and on-going uses. This shall include but
not be limited to indigenous peoples, local communities and non-
governmental organisations.
I.4. FOREST PLANNING
I.4.1. In order to maintain forest structure, function and
dynamics, forest planning shall first determine what to leave,
and
then what to take.
I.4.2. Impacts to forest ecosystems from one use must not
compromise the potential for other uses.
I.4.3. Forest planning shall favour uses and products which have
the lowest environmental impacts over their life cycle.
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II. GUIDELINES FOR RESPECTFUL FOREST USE
II.1. Forest use areas shall be defined after the
establishment of a protected ecosystem network within each
landscape used by human beings.
II.1.1 Protected ecosystem networks shall be respectful
of
indigenous peoples' customary rights.
II.1.2 Protected ecosystem networks shall be designed
based on the principles of conservation biology and ecosystem
management.
II.1.3 Components of a protected ecosystem network
include: large protected reserves, riparian ecosystems,
ecologically sensitive sites, culturally significant areas,
representative and ecologically viable areas of all forest types
and successional phases, interconnecting corridors, naturally
rare
habitats, and habitats for rare and endangered species and
species
of special scientific significance.
II.1.4 If a landscape has insufficient native forest to
make up a protected ecosystem network, restoration of forest
areas
must be carried out as an integral part of the determination and
development of appropriate human use areas.
II.2. For every forest use area representative reference sites
must be identified, set aside and fully protected. Reference
sites
may correspond to a number of production areas.
II.2.1 Reference sites shall be representative of the
native forest in the forest use area as determined by landscape
characteristics, biotic and abiotic components and the
naturalness
of the reference site including its history.
II.2.2 Reference sites may be selected from, but are not
limited to, areas set aside within a protected ecosystem network.
II.2.3 Reference sites should be as close to natural
ecosystems as possible. Where such sites are not available,
restoration must occur.
II.3. Forest use areas shall be managed to mimic reference sites
in structure, function and dynamics.
II.3.1 Reference sites serve as models for corresponding
use sites. Inventories of structure, function and dynamics of
reference sites shall be used to establish minimum standards
necessary to design ecologically responsible forest use.
II.3.2 Inventories shall occur on forest use sites to
determine any differences between the site being planned and the
reference sites. These differences shall be used to strengthen,
but not weaken, the minimum standards established from reference
sites.
II.3.3 Forest operations will seek to minimise
differences
in structure, function and dynamics between the reference sites
and the forest use sites over time.
II.3.4 A management plan appropriate to the scale,
intensity and frequency of forest operations must be prepared.
Management plans will be for specific forest sites and/or
ecosystems and must include provisions on the protection and
maintenance of adjacent and interconnected sites and/or
ecosystems
as relevant.
II.4. Independent monitoring of the impacts of operations in the
forest use area shall occur. Procedures for regular review and,
if needed, revision of the management plan must be established.
II.4.1 An environmental assessment shall take place prior
to and following extractive activities to make sure that forest
structure, function and dynamics are being protected.
II.4.2 Frequent inventories of the structure, function
and
dynamics of forest use areas - as appropriate to the intensity,
scale and frequency of forest operations - and of their reference
sites shall occur to determine progress towards minimising
differences between them.
II.4.3 All assessments, inventories and management plans
must be documented and available to the public.
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III. SOME PROHIBITED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
In practical terms, the above guidelines mean that many presently
applied forest management practices must be avoided. The
following is a partial list of those practices whose use should
be
prohibited. Prohibited management practices include use of:
- bio-accumulative, toxic and/or persistent substances;
- genetically modified organisms (GMOs);
- clearcutting;
- highgrading;
- direct manipulations of soils such as ploughing, harrowing,
and/or drainage of forest lands and peatlands.
- replacement of natural forests by tree plantations.
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ANNEX: DEFINITION OF TERMS
Biological diversity - "the variability among living organisms
from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and
other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which
they are part; this includes diversity within species, between
species and of ecosystems." (Convention on Biological Diversity)
Restoration - The recreation of communities of organisms
resembling, in structure, function and dynamics, those prior to
degradation, and protected from further human degradation.
Clearcutting - The cutting of all trees in a forest stand and
removal of the merchantable logs, which is damaging to the
structure, functions and/or dynamics of the forest.
Clearcut - An opening in a forest from clearcutting.
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