Okinawa, 21 July 2000. The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior attempted to deliver 8 logs from Russian forests today to G-8 leaders to highlight the elevated rate of illegal and destructive logging that continues to occur throughout the world's last remaining ancient forests. The logs of oak and ash are from Russia's Primorsky region where according to regional government statistics 80% of logging is illegal.
Along with the logs, the Greenpeace activists tried to deliver a letter to the G-8 heads of state explaining their demands. Each log has the flag representing the eight G-8 countries on it and banners with crime painted across them. The Rainbow Warrior and the log barge are currently half a mile off shore from the Summit Meeting venue.
At the same time activists in Germany continue to occupy the vessel MV Aegis which is transporting illegal timeber from the endangered African forests. The activists have now been on cranes for more than 20 hours to prevent any more cargo from making it to the markets in Germany.
Time is running out for the ancient forests, of which only 20% remains of the original forest cover on Earth. An area the size of a football pitch is destroyed every two seconds.
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