Tag Archives: European Parliament

How safe are EU’s natural forests? High level event in EU Parliament.

Sept. 24, Brussels: Forest destruction – only an issue in the Amazon?
*** New report “LOGGING OUT – Saving Romania’s paradise forests” ***

On September 24th, Members of the European Parliament (Michal WIEZIK, Martin HO-JSÍK, Siegfried MUREŞAN, Sarah WIENER) and Humberto DELGADO ROSA (Director at DG Environment of the EU Commission) discuss with NGOs EuroNatur, Client Earth and Agent Green the status and future of EU’s remaining old-growth and primary forests.

Europe’s remaining old-growth and primary forests are an outstanding biological treasure and they store and capture huge amounts of carbon. While the shock about the forest tragedy in the Amazon is substantial, many of Europe’s last natural forests are also under threat, even in protected areas such as Natura 2000 sites and national parks. In the temperate climate zone of the EU, most of these highly valuable forest remains are located in the Carpathians, mainly in Romania, Slovakia and Poland.

A new inventory of Romania’s old- growth and primary forests (“PRIMOFARO”), commissioned by EuroNatur Foundation, reveals a huge extent of close-to-nature forests – and the acute threat they face from logging. The key findings of the inventory will be presented at the event.

The main questions to be addressed at the conference in the European Parliament will be:

• To what extent does the Natura 2000 regime guarantee sufficient conservation outcomes for Eu-rope’s last natural forests?

• In April 2018, a ruling of the European Court of Justice stopped logging activities in Poland’s Bialowieza Natura 2000 site due to severe breaches of the EU Habitat and Birds Directives. But what will happen to the rest of natural forests in Natura 2000 sites?

• Will the EU fulfil its own environmental responsibilities and act to protect our last old-growth and primary forests?

On 10th September 2019, EuroNatur, Client Earth and Agent Green filed an EU complaint against the Romanian government and authorities regarding systematic breaches of EU legislation in the forest sector. Client Earth will explain details of the complaint at the event.

“Today, the climate crisis is on top of the UN agenda in New York. Tomorrow, a forest summit will take place in Berlin. The IPBES Global Assessment Report highlighted that global protection and restoration of natural ecosystems are equally important as fighting the climate crisis. Therefore, the preservation of intact and carbon-rich forest habitats in Europe must be treated as a topic of utmost importance,” Gabriel Schwaderer says.

New report published:
“LOGGING OUT – Saving Romania’s paradise forests”

The report gives an overview about the tragic situation of Romania’s old growth and primary forests, explains the backgrounds and draws solutions.

You can download the report here (or click on image below).

 

High level event in EU Parliament: EU’s Old Growth and Primary Forests Under Siege

Members of the European Parliament join NGO’s EuroNatur, Client Earth and Agent Green as well as the Director of DG Environment of the EU Commission to discuss status and future of EU’s last old growth and primary forests – September 24, Brussels

Most of the old-growth and primary forest remains in the temperate climate zone of the EU are located in the Carpathians – mainly in Romania, Slovakia and Poland.
A new inventory of Romania’s old- growth and primary forests, commissioned by EuroNatur Foundation, has revealed a huge extent of close-to-nature forests – and their threat from logging.

These forests are an outstanding biological treasure and capture huge amounts of carbon. The IPBES „Global Assessment“ report (May 2019) made clear that the global protection and restoration of na- tural ecosystems is equally important to tackling the climate crisis. However, logging of the EU’s last intact natural forest ecosystems proceeds at a rapid pace, including within Natura 2000 sites.

The European Court of Justice (2018) stopped logging activities in Polands Bialowieza Natura 2000 site due to the legal breaches of the EU‘s Habitat and Birds Directives. But what will happen to the rest of the EU‘s natural forests in Natura 2000 sites? Will the EU fulfil its own environmental responsibilities and act to protect our last old-growth and primary forests?

Therefore, we kindly invite you to join the high level event on September 24 with Members of the European Parliament, the Director of DG Environment of the EU Commission and NGO experts to contribute to the discussion about the future of Europe’s most valuable forests.

Please note that you need to register, if you do not have an access badge (see details below).

Thank you for sharing this information!

 

Protest action with bear in Berlin: EU environmental ministers must protect Romania’s virgin forests

Robin Wood e.V. protests against scandalous deforestation in Romanian national parks and Natura 2000 sites in front of Romanian embassy in Berlin

On Tuesday, 5th March, parallel to the meeting of the EU environment ministers in Brussels, activists of the environmental organisation Robin Wood e.V. demonstrated against the destruction of the Romanian virgin forests. Their protest took place with symbolic “logging” of an old tree in front of the Romanian embassy in Berlin.

Equipped with foresters clothes and a chainsaw, they shredded a tree trunk in front of the Romanian embassy to draw attention to the massive deforestation in Romania’s highly valuable forests. People in bear costumes were holding a banner with the following text on it: “No Loggings in Romanian National Parks”.
“The Romanian virgin forests are being illegally logged – in national parks, biosphere reserves and Natura 2000 sites – and we call on the Romanian government to take effective measures to prevent this” says Jana Ballenthien, forest expert from Robin Wood. The environmental activists used the Romanian EU presidency to draw the spotlight on Romania and illegal logging. Even in the Natura 2000 sites, which are actually protected under European law, deforestation is massively taking place in Romania. “The last virgin forests on our earth with their biodiversity and their function for a stable climate must be reliably protected – not only on other continents, also here in Europe. We call on the Romanian government to use its presidency of the European Council to put forest protection right at the top of the agenda,” says Ballenthien.
Romania’s forests biodiversity is overwhelmingly rich and the forests provide habitats for numerous endemic and threatened species. The Carpathians host most of the last virgin and natural forests in the European Union – almost untouched since the ice age. They are invaluable for climate and biodiversity. Many regions in the Romanian mountains are difficult to access and are amongst the few remaining refuges of European brown bears, lynxes and wolves.
In particular, Robin Wood calls on the Romanian government and Romsilva to establish an effective control system to prevent illegal logging in national parks and to enforce EU legislation consistently to protect designated Natura 2000 sites. EU-wide sanctions for illegalities in Natura 2000 sites must be ensured. In addition, logging and trade in illegal timber must also be effectively prevented within the European internal market.

Romania’s virgin forests need help. So please sign this petition and spread it further. Thank you!

Bears protesting for the conservatin of their forest homes (© Stephan Röhl, CC BY SA 4.0)
Activists in front of the Romanian embassy in Berlin (© Stephan Röhl, CC BY SA 4.0)