Campaign
against the Certification of Veracel
Fast Wood Plantations
Letter
sento to the FSC Board by various organizations - 6 July of 2007
Dear FSC Board members and Director
We are writing to you in relation
to the upcoming consultation process to be carried out by SGS from
23-27 July as part of the certification process of Veracel’s
plantations in Bahia, Brazil.
These plantations are a good example
of what has been defined by CIFOR as “fast wood” plantations.
Having supported the work of local organizations for many years, the
undersigned believe that these large-scale, fast growth eucalyptus
monocultures do not meet the FSC’s Principles and Criteria because
of their negative social, economic and environmental impacts. This
is true even more so considering the recommendations from the FSC
plantations policy working group, adopted by the Board of Directors,
to significantly raise the bar for FSC certification of tree plantations.
Given that the FSC’s plantation
certification review is still under way, we believe that this is a
good opportunity for the involvement in this certification process
of Board members – or designated FSC officials- in order to
later inform the full Board about their findings and ensure good guidance
of the technical review phase.
We are happy to put you in contact
with organizations in Brazil who will accompany you to Veracel’s
plantations area. During the visit, you will be able to meet with
local communities and have first hand knowledge about their opinion
on those plantations as well as their perception of the company seeking
certification.
We believe that such visit will
provide you with a better understanding on why certification of plantations
such as these is being opposed by so many organizations throughout
the world and why the FSC looses credibility every time plantations
like those of Veracel are FSC certified.
We also believe that once the
board becomes aware about the serious social and environmental impacts
that these plantations entail, it will reach the conclusion that they
are falling far short if FSC minimum requirements and that they should
thus not be certified.
The Veracel case is paradigmatic,
both because of the Aracruz part-ownership of the operations as well
as for the size of the plantations and international opposition to
the pulp mill which these plantations are feeding. The Veracel certification
assessment puts the FSC at the crossroads. Whichever road it decides
to choose (to certify or not to certify) will shape the public perception
of the organization.
The undersigned wish to express
their serious concern about the steps taken to certifying Veracel’s
plantations. We urge the Board to ensure due process is followed and
that the recommendations of the FSC policy phase of the plantations
review are adequately considered. Issuing yet another certificate
to a controversial plantations company whose plantations management
from our perspective does not meet the minimum requirements of the
FSC Principles and Criteria will undermine the credibility not only
of the commitment to the FSC plantations review process but also of
the FSC to address the concerns voiced by both members and non-members
about its certification of plantations that cannot comply with FSC
Principles and Criteria.
Taking into account that Veracel’s
certification process has already started, and that SGS will conduct
the Public Consultation between July 23 and 27th, we kindly request
your answer before Tuesday 17th. of July
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Ricardo Carrere, World Rainforest
Movement
Jutta Kill, FERN
Javier Baltodano/Isaac Rojas, Friends of the Earth International,
Forests and Biodiversity Programme
Peter Gerhardt, Robin Wood
Wally Menne, Timberwatch
Orin Langelle, Global Justice Ecology Project
Rully Syumanda, WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia
Simon Counsell, Rainforest Foundation
Barbara Happe, Urgewald
