UPDATED ACTION ALERT PLEASE SHARE WIDELY! Protest Madagascar's Legalization of Rosewood Log Export from National Parks
By Rainforest Portal http://www.rainforestportal.org/ - a project of Ecological Internet January 26, 2010 Delmas shipping, a subsidiary of French shipping giant CMA-CGM, is being pressured by the transitional Madagascar government to ship hundreds of containers of illegally logged ancient rainforest logs from Madagascar to China anytime soon. Post-coup illegal log and wildlife trade continue to threaten Madagacar's biodiversity rich rainforest remnants, ecological sustainability and future potential for national advancement. TAKE ACTION HERE NOW: http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=madagascar_landgrab Madagascar has legalized the export of rosewood logs, ushering in renewed logging of the country's embattled rainforest parks. The transitional authority led by President Andry Rajoelina, who seized power during a military coup last March, earlier this month released a decree that allows the export of rosewood logs harvested from the Indian Ocean island's national parks [1]. Ecological Internet has received confirmation that our Madagascar campaign with Rainforest Rescue did achieve some partial success. The particular logging shipments highlighted at the end of 2009 did not proceed. However, the Malagasy government is now forcing the hand of Delmas shipping by authorizing the export of rosewood. Rajoelina has ordered that rosewood logged from Madagascar's rainforests now be shipped out of the country. France, Holland, Morocco, and the World Bank have all been implicated in financing illegal logging operations in Madagascar's national parks over the past year. Even as foreign governments condemned the surge in illegal logging last year, many--either directly or through institutions they support--are shareholders in the very banks that have financed the export of illegal lumber from Madagascar. Local sources confirm there are presently thousands of loggers in Masoala (UNESCO World Heritage site) and Makira. With the log exports now open, loggers will step up logging of these rainforest parks. EI has been asked by local organizations to repost our action page, as people are looking for ways to help. MORE INFORMATION AND TAKE ACTION NOW: http://www.climateark.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=madagascar_landgrab [1] Madagascar sanctions logging of national parks. Mongabay, Jan. 11, 2010. http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0111-madagascar.html Mongabay press coverage: Major international banks, shipping companies, and consumers play key role in Madagascar's logging crisis http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1215-rowan_madagascar.html Global Witness and EIA report: http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/887/en/field_investigation_into_illegal_logging_in_madaga DISCUSS THIS ALERT: http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/ --- You are subscribed to ecological_internet as [email protected]. Before unsubscribing, please consider modifying your list profile at: http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/subscribe/[email protected] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] Or click here: http://email.ecoearth.info:81/u?id=84041H&n=T&c=F&l=ecological_internet To subscribe visit: http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/subscribe/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
