|
Press
release January 7, 2002
Government-owned
old-growth forest is again felled in Taivalkoski
The
high profit target of the Forest and Park Service allows no admissions
for nature
This
morning, activists from the Finnish Nature League camped in the
logging area of the government-owned Forest and Park Service in
Hämeenvaara, Taivalkoski.The Finnish Nature League previously protested
against loggings in the area in September. The government has, in
connection with the decision on the protection of old-growth forests,
required that the Service safeguard the ecological values of the
area.
Hämeenvaara
is a typical example of splinter conservation, where a unified old-growth
forest is fragmented by loggings into small islets. The remaining,
fragmented and often extremely small old-growth forest islets can
not maintain the populations of old-growth species, which have so
far survived in the area.
Endangered
species are outlaws even on government land. The Forest and Park
Service is continuously logging the last remaining forests suitable
for our old-growth forest species. During the inventories conducted
in Hämeenvaara last summer, Nature League found occurrences of several
old-growth species, such as the flying squirrel. Due to public pressure,
the logging plans encompassing several tens of hectares were slightly
adjusted in the vicinity of the occurrences, but these changes are
not enough to save the species eking out a meager living in the
already too small and fragmented habitats.
The
profit target of the Forest and Park Service is against the spirit
of the law
The
legislation regulating the Forest and Part Service requires this
government-owned enterprise to safeguard biodiversity. The logging
targets of the Service have, however, continuously risen for the
past ten years, and have long since exceeded the maximal ecologically
sustainable level. It is absurd that not even government forests
are managed in a manner consistent with the Finnish constitution's
obligation to preserve biodiversity, or with the international biodiversity
treaties signed by Finland. The Forest and Park Service's loggings
in the old-growth forests of Northern Finland are continually destroying
valuable old-growth forest habitats, which according to all ecological
assessments are already too scarce. The profit target allows no
flexibility, not even for loggings in forests especially valuable
for endangered species, tourism or refreshment usage.
Further
information:
Finnish
Nature League / Olli Manninen +358-50-5940429, Juho Lintu +358-40-549
1597 (on site)
Further
information (including pictures of the area):
http://www.luontoliitto.fi/forest/reports/01/hameenvaara/index.html
|