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Helsinki,
September 16, 1998
SERIOUS
VIOLATION AGAINST THE OLD-GROWTH FOREST LOGGING MORATORIUM OF KARELIA
Dear
Sirs,
The Piaozersky
lespromkhoz has recently been shown to seriously violate the old-growth
logging moratorium of Karelia.
In more
detail: The construction of a logging road has been going on since
the beginning of this month on the northern side of Paanajärvi National
Park (in the moratorium area no. 1, Pjaozerskoje quartal no. 181).
At least 500 meters of road is already under construction, and, according
to our information, over 10 kms will be built in the near future according
to the present plans (the road would be built through the quartals
no. 174, 166 and 165). Merely the construction of this road causes
significant increase in human impact on the largest ancient taiga
area of Karelia. Worse yet, the road is intended for extensive future
loggings in the area by the lespromkhoz, and possibly by "wild"
companies (i.e. companies, which are not committed to the moratorium).
Such loggings would devastate the area.
The Piaozersky
lespromkhoz has promised to respect the moratorium during the year
1998 as assured in a letter to Enso by director general I. N. Fedchik
on the 11th of August 1998. Now it has failed to keep this promise.
Any wood
sold by this lespromkhoz may thus originate from the old-growth forests
included in the logging moratorium. The undersigned non-governmental
organizations will consider further wood purchases from the Piaozersky
lespromkhoz a violation against the moratorium.
Yours Sincerely,
Otso
Ovaskainen, Finnish Nature League
Virpi
Sahi, WWF Finland
Hanna
Kivinen, Greenpeace Nordic
Otto
Miettinen, Friends of the Earth Finland
Dmitry
Aksenov, Biodiversity Conservation Centre
Vladimir
Zacharov, Socio-Ecological Union
Alexey
Yaroshenko and Vladimir Tchouprov , Greenpeace Russia
Addressed
to:
Jukka
Härmälä
President
& CEO
Enso
Oyj
Anna-Liisa
Myllynen
Manager,
Environmental Affairs
Forest
Operations/ Wood Import
Enso
Oyj
Juha
Niemelä
President
& CEO
UPM-Kymmene
Corporation
Jukka
Olkkonen
Manager,
Environmental Affairs
Wood
Import
UPM-Kymmene
Forest
Esko
Muhonen
President
& CEO
Vapo
Oy
Mauri
Koskela
Head
of Supplies
Vapo
Timber Oy
Jouko
Virranniemi
Managing
Director
Pölkky
Oy
Pekka
Virranniemi
Manager,
Wood Import
Forest
Department
Pölkky
Oy
Lauri
Nakari
Managing
Director
Kuhmo
Oy
Kauko
Vainionpää
Managing
Director
Vainionpää-Yhtiöt
Heikki
Kokkoniemi
Managing
Director
Heikki
Kokkoniemi Oy
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