In Galicia, we have been suffering for many years the consequences of the dreadful influence of the company ENCE in our natural environment and in our economy. The forestry branch of ENCE, dedicated to the monoculture and trading of eucalyptus wood for the manufacturing of pulp has played a role that has caused the impoverishment and abandonment of rural communities, abandonment of forestry lands, what causes a high risk of fire, has caused intense erosion of lands of its own and held with other companies due to the plantation methods applied, has used, on a massive basis, large volumes of pesticides that have caused the loss of biological diversity and the destruction of resources, has polluted streams and underground aquifers, has caused the loss of fitness of the forest for leisure purposes, has replaced natural systems protected by the Directive on Habitats and has caused the loss of quality of the landscape of the areas occupied by their activities.
But in spite of putting in practice a model of forestry management evidently unsustainable and that seriously breaches most of the principles and criteria of the FSC, in complicity with the certifier SGS, the company has obtained the certificate of the council. In secret, hiding the situation of the lands to conceal their bad practices, although the claims submitted clearly evidence the non-compliance with principles and criteria, NORFOR continues to be certified.
At present the company is authorized to purchase wood and to transform it into certified wood, with no other control apart from the one supposedly exercised by the certifier that has shown its efforts for keeping the certification of NORFOR at all costs; in the meantime, the company continues to purchase wood in any kind of estate that accepts the prices offered by them.
In view of this situation we request that, in accordance with the objective of the FSC to “promote the environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable of the world’s forests” the certification of NORFOR is cancelled forthwith.
Galicia, August 31, 2006
FEDERACIÓN ECOLOXISTA GALEGA
ASOCIACIÓN POLA DEFENSA DA RÍA
ASOCIACIÓN PARA A DEFENSA ECOLÓXICA DE GALICIA
VERDEGAIA
COLECTIVO ECOLOXISTA LUITA VERDE
ASEMBLEA DO SUÍDO
OUREOL
