A present for the Finnish PM: woodchips made from ancient reindeer forests

Greenpeace activists in Rome today appealed to the Finnish Prime Minister to save the Sàmi reindeer forests in Northern Finland . The activists unfurled a banner - Stop Trashing Sàmi Reindeer Forests - at the UN headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Wood chips were deposited in front of the building to highlight the fact that the Finnish government is turning the reindeer forests into wood chips for pulp and paper production.

The Prime Minister of Finland, Matti Vanhanen, is visiting Rome to open a Finnish Forestry Room in the FAO building. The government claims that the meeting room "represents an important aspect of their national culture."

"Whilst the Finnish Prime Minister travels abroad to celebrate its national culture, his government back home has been busy making money from destroying the livelihood of Sàmi reindeer herders," said Matti Liimatainen, Greenpeace forests campaigner. "Traditional free-grazing reindeer herding forms the basis of Sàmi indigenous culture, but its future hangs in the balance as the government refuses to seek a long-term solution in the issue."

Through the state-owned forest company Metsähallitus, the Finnish government has been logging in important reindeer grazing areas to supply Finnish pulp mills with cheap raw materials (1). In 2003 the reindeer herders together with Greenpeace and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) mapped out forest areas essential for winter grazing. Over 90% of the mapped forest areas were found to be old-growth forest.

"Speaking from Rome, Ms Sini Harkki from FANC said: "It is time for the Finnish government to live up to its national and international responsibilities and protect Lapland's old growth forests and the rights of the Sàmi to practise traditional reindeer herding. If this issue continues to be ignored, the future of traditional free-grazing reindeer herding remains uncertain. We can not let this happen.""

This activity follows a similar protest outside the UN venue Palais de Nations in Geneva yesterday. During the UN Human Rights Commission's 61st session, Mr Erkki Tuomioja, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a speech stating that Finland's objectives for its term of membership in the UN Human Rights Commission is to prevent discrimination of minorities and indigenous peoples. However, the Finnish government was recent criticised by the UN Human Rights Committee for discriminating against the rights of the Sàmi as indigenous people. (2)

At the beginning of March, Greenpeace established a Forest Rescue Station in one of the threatened reindeer forest areas to highlight the ongoing destruction by Metsauml;hallitus, the Finnish government's logging company and those paper companies that continue to buy this destruction (3)

Contacts:
Matti Liimatainen, Greenpeace Nordic (Lapland) + 358 400 346 329
Phil Aikman Greenpeace International (London) + 44 7801 212995
Mikael Sjövall, Greenpeace Nordic (Helsinki) + 358 50 3696 202
Sini Harkki (FANC, Rome) + 358 50 582 1107

Notes to editor:
1. Up to 90% of Metsauml;hallitus's turnover comes from the sale of timber. The Finnish State is also the single largest shareholder in the main company that buys pulp logs coming from these areas, owning nearly one quarter of the voting shares in the Finnish-Swedish paper giant StoraEnso.
2. UN Human Rights Committee (November 2004):
"....regrets that it has not received a clear answer concerning the rights of the Sàmi as an indigenous people (Constitution, sect. 17, subsect. 3), in the light of article 1 of the Covenant. It reiterates its concern over the failure to settle the question of Sàmi rights to land ownership and the various public and private uses of land that affect the Sàmi's traditional means of subsistence - in particular reindeer breeding - thus endangering their traditional culture and way of life, and hence their identity."
"The State party should, in conjunction with the Sàmi people, swiftly take decisive action to arrive at an appropriate solution to the land dispute with due regard for the need to preserve the Sàmi identity in accordance with article 27 of the Covenant. Meanwhile it is requested to refrain from any action that might adversely prejudice settlement of the issue of Sàmi land rights. "
3. A weblog documenting the activities of the Forest Rescue Station can be seen at: weblog.greenpeace.org/forestrescue/

Setting up the Forest Rescue Station, Finland

Greenpeace today (2nd March) announced that it would be stepping up its campaign to protect remaining ancient forests in Finland by establishing a Forest Rescue Station in the last Sàmi reindeer forests of Arctic Lapland. This follows the Finnish government's decision to start new logging operations in important winter grazing pine forests, in defiance of urgent recommendations issued by the UN Human Rights Committee (1).

The Forest Rescue Station will act as a forward operating base from which to monitor logging operations and assist the Sàmi reindeer herding co-operatives in mapping and demarcating important areas of forest. Activists will be living in a combination of insulated modular containers and traditional Sàmi tents.

"In the face of international human rights scrutiny, the Finnish government has chosen to take the business as usual approach," said Matti Liimatainen Greenpeace forest campaigner. "As long as the government continues to log the last Sàmi reindeer forests, Greenpeace will be active in these areas until they recognise their importance and stop their destruction."

In northern Lapland, many Sàmi indigenous peoples still practice traditional reindeer herding, relying on remaining old-growth forests to provide vital food for their reindeer during the cold winter months. The Sàmi reindeer herders have been fighting alone for their livelihood and have been calling on the government to protect important areas of reindeer forests from industrial logging. The Finnish government has always prioritised other forms of land uses other than reindeer herding. The reindeer forests have been reduced piece by piece by the government's own logging company, Metsahallitus, which carries out most of the logging in Lapland.

About 70 percent of the wood logged by Metsahallitus in Sàmi areas is sold for pulp and paper production (2). The Finnish paper giant, StoraEnso buys most of the wood originating from destruction of reindeer grazing forests, which finally ends up being sold to the UK and other European consumers as magazines, copy paper, and envelopes.

"Sadly we are fast approaching the point of no return. Metsahallitus are on the verge of logging some of the last tracts of old-growth forest containing horsetail lichen, vital for winter grazing of reindeer," said Liimatainen. "What's insane is that Sàmi's reindeer herding livelihood is being pulped to make cheap magazines, copy paper, envelopes and even disposable tissue paper."

A coalition of reindeer herding co-operatives have recently sent a letter to the Minister of Forestry and Agriculture calling on the Finnish government to agree to a moratorium in the important reindeer forests that have been mapped (3). Greenpeace and other Finnish environmental groups are supporting these demands and have written to the government urging them to take immediate action.

For more information, or to organise a visit to the Forest Rescue Station: Call Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.