On Wednesday 17th April at 6pm in the Congress Hall, the Environment Minister, Michael Meacher will meet a delegation of Greenpeace activists to discuss the role of the UK in protecting the world's remaining ancient forests.
Among the UK delegation will also be 16 year old Joss Garman, 10 year old Jacob Jackman and journalists from Children's Express who will be interviewing the Environment Minister, Michael Meacher. The delegation will also be accompanies by Ancient Forest Guardian and well-known environmentalist and lobbyist Bianca Jagger.
The meeting with the Environment Minister follows on from a 30,000 signature petition to the Prime Minister. It follows investigations exposing the Government's use of African timber used in the doors and windows at the Cabinet Office in Whitehall.
Greenpeace is calling on the UK Government to end all imports of illegally and destructively logged wood from ancient forests. If the world's ancient forests, home to most of the world's plants and animals are to be saved, then all wood imports must come from environmentally friendly sources.
Tony Blair has promised that the UK will lead international action to protect the world's ancient forests, but so far his promises have just been rhetoric with the UK market being flooded with illegal and destructively logged timber from what's left of the worlds ancient forests
Greenpeace is demanding that at this conference Governments must:
- stop the destruction of the world's remaining ancient forests
- clean up the timber trade by ensuring that timber is produced and traded in a legal and ecologically responsible way and by refusing to trade with companies known to be operating illegally or destructively.
- provide funds to help pay for forest conservation and sustainable development
Further information or interviews with Greenpeace spokespeople in The Hague on the 17th April:
Contact:
Greenpeace UK press office on 020 7865 8255
