Papua New Guinea Deforestation Action in the Netherlands

Brian Baring grew up in a traditional village in Papua New Guinea as one of the Gingilang clan, of the Borong tribe. He has traveled to Europe to tell his very personal story of the effects of illegal timber imports. His clan have been custodians of the land for thousands of years and are now legally the customary landowners. Brian tells ministers and timber merchants about the dire need for action to save the remaining tracts of forest. He explains why the forests are so important and about the devastating impact of the trade in illegal timber: "I have come to Europe to bring the message of my people to the politicians and people of this continent, to ask them to stop the destruction of my forest home. Many companies here buy products that are made from the forests of Papua New Guinea, stolen from our land and our people. I have visited people at the European Commission and politicians in the Netherlands, France, Sweden and Belgium and I don't understand why they don't stop importing these products. Why don't you care? Why don't you care that we are treated so badly, with our forests stolen so that you here in Europe can have cheap timber products like plywood to feed a consumer society that's fueling the destruction of my home, my culture and my people." Illegally logged timber from ancient forests is available in European countries like the Netherlands. Dutch companies do business in this trade while they are fully aware of the descent of their timber. This is Greenpeace's conclusion after an international investigation. This report is called 'The Forest Crime File' and will be offered by Brian Baring to Dutch minister Veerman. Also Greenpeace will show a confronting photography exhibition in front of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Hague. Greenpeace demands that the Dutch government implements an import ban on illegally logged timber. Nowhere in the world the logging goes as fast as in 'Paradise Forest'. More than 500 mammal species are dependent on these forests. Just recently new species were discovered in this area. According to scientists all the rainforests of neighbor country Indonesia have left is a couple of years before they will be gone.