*[Enwl-eng] URGENT: Last chance to save forests

[ENWL]

This petition was launched on our YouMove platform by Euronatur and Agent 
Green. We think you might be interested in it.

Hi,

While forest guards are in lockdown, forest thieves are not. Europe’s last 
old-growth forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The wood mafia in 
Romania continues logging while the government does little to stop them. 
During the lockdown, wood transport was bigger than in the same period last 
year. And this in spite of the fact that the European Commission launched an 
infringement procedure against Romania on this very issue. [*]

More than 120,000 people signed the petition to immediately stop the illegal 
logging. Our partners are meeting the Romanian Minister of Environment, 
Water and Forests tomorrow to deliver the petition and demand instant 
action. The more people behind this, the more Romania's government will 
realise that this is an issue that people care about. Will you share the 
petition with your friends to put as much pressure as possible? It’s the 
last chance!

            Share now!


Thank you!

David, Marta (Warsaw), Olga (Bologna), Jörg (Lübeck) and the entire WeMove 
Europe team



[*] 
https://www.clientearth.org/press/eu-announces-legal-action-against-romania-for-illegal-logging-of-europes-last-natural-forests/



************************************************************
Below our email from last year, explaining the situation:
************************************************************



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      The Romanian government allows the devastation of Europe’s largest 
untouched forests in national parks and ‘Natura 2000’ areas - to sell the 
wood to timber corporations. But now the eyes of Europe are on Romania, as 
it holds the EU presidency. Let’s use this moment and say the logging must 
stop now!

      Sign the petition
Hi,

Old-growth forests are in danger! Vast areas are being logged right now in 
Romania - against EU law - all this while its government holds the EU 
presidency. We must act now if we don’t want to lose Europe’s green lungs.

Until the end of June, the presidency of the EU is being held by Romania. In 
the coming weeks, the eyes of Europe will be still on the Romanian 
government. We have a chance to demand from the Romanian PM to immediately 
stop the devastation!

Logging in Romania is out of control — wonderful, untouched forests in 
national parks, Natura 2000 sites, buffer zones of UNESCO World Heritage 
sites are all being logged and lost, both legally and illegally, often with 
the full permission and support of the Romanian government. [1]

But we can stop it. During the EU presidency, the Romanian government wants 
to make the best possible impression on the European and international 
public. If we publicise this tragedy all over Europe, the Romanian Prime 
Minister will have to listen. We will deliver the petition to the Romanian 
authorities and, in order to make more noise, also to the European 
Commission and the European Parliament.

The pressure must come from different countries to show the Romanian Prime 
Minister that forests belong to everyone. By signing this petition, you will 
contribute to persuading the Romanian authorities to stop the logging.

            Sign the petition!


The forests under threat grow in the Carpathian Mountains, Europe’s third 
longest mountain range. Mixed mountain forests of beech and spruce, and at 
higher altitudes, coniferous mountain forests with black pines and Alpine 
meadows - they are home to the EU’s largest and healthiest populations of 
brown bears, wolves, lynx, chamois, and red deer.

The threat comes mainly from Romania’s state-funded forestry company, 
Romsilva, which prioritises logging over conservation and is given full 
consent by authorities in Bucharest. Biofuels and timber industry are 
driving the logging. International companies benefit from its scale. [2]

We have shown numerous times that we can mobilise to protect natural 
treasures all over Europe and that saving forests is our priority. We fought 
for the Kresna gorge in Bulgaria and we massively supported the successful 
action to save the Białowieża forest in Poland. [3] So let’s do it again and 
save the green lungs of Europe. Sign now!

Thank you!
Marta (Warsaw), Olga (Bologna), Jörg (Lübeck) and the entire WeMove Europe 
team

PS: Our generation has the responsibility to save nature for future 
generations. Romanian forests are carbon reserves, gene banks, scientific 
laboratories, oxygen factories and home for numerous threatened species, 
some found nowhere else on earth. Sign and save the forests!



References:
[1] 
https://wilderness-society.org/logging-in-romanian-virgin-forest-continues/
https://www.saveparadiseforests.eu/de/video-3/
[2] 
https://www.saveparadiseforests.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/EuroNatur_AG_briefer_web.pdf
[3] https://act.wemove.eu/campaigns/Save-the-Kresna-Gorge
https://act.wemove.eu/campaigns/justice-forest-defenders



You Move Europe is an online action platform dedicated to help making Europe 
a more democratic, environmentally and socially just place. You Move Europe 
puts power in your hands. If you have an idea to make Europe a better place, 
You Move Europe helps you make it a reality. Petitions on this platform are 
started and run by civil society groups and members of the public. WeMove 
Europe hosts these petitions and they are in line with our values but they 
are not necessarily endorsed by WeMove Europe.


From: David - WeMove Europe
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2020 8:40 PM
Subject: URGENT: Last chance to save forests

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.enwl.net.ru/pipermail/enwl-eng/attachments/20200629/0af27da9/attachment.html>