Canada and U.S. Argue on How to Manage Forests
6/20/97
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Subject: Canada and U.S. argue on how to manage forests
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997
Organization: Copyright 1997 by Reuters
UNITED NATIONS(Reuter) - Sharing spectacular North American
forests side by side, Canada and the United States nevertheless
disagree sharply on how to preserve them.
Both countries are sensitive to their respective logging
industries, with the United States against binding international
regulations and the Canadian loggers wanting a level playing
field by devising worldwide standards.
The controversy should come to a head next week at the
second Earth Summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the
historic summit in Rio de Janeiro. But the splits are so deep,
that a compromise to continue discussions, including some
''elements'' for a treaty, is the expected outcome.
On the side of Canada, which has 10 percent of the world's
forest, is the European Union, Malaysia and Costa Rica and
Russia among other countries. Against a treaty are Brazil and
India as well as the United States.
Razali Ismail, president of the U.N. General Assembly, said
he hoped ministers next week would ``come to the rescue'' as
lower-level negotiatiors were unable to reach a decision
Forests play a vital role in climate regulation by absorbing
damaging carbon emissions and preventing soil degregation,
floods and droughts.
``Is it necessary to have a forest convention or is a forest
convention going to lead to more time being wasted? These things
have to be looked at,'' Razali said.
Since 1995 an Intergovernmental Panel on Forests has been
meeting on five continents and made over 1,000 proposals. But it
set no specific targets and compliance is unmonitored.
The United States prefers non-binding agreements worked out
by the panel. ``The key is to get work going on the ground and
you can't do a whole lot on this level unless you get down to
the grass routes,'' said one senior U.S. official.
Clinton administration officials also maintain many
regulations are covered in a biodiversity or conservation treaty
it has signed but the U.S. Senate has not ratified.
Within the United States, only 30 percent of the forest land
is publicly owned. But 98 percent of all forests have been
logged at least once.
Canada argues that if forests in one country are protected
companies will try to harvest the needed timber in another
country without regulations.
``Weak standards, says Anne McLellan, Canada's natural
resource minister, ``are in no one's interest.''
``The agreement must reflect the reality that allows
livelihood to be made from forests but it must also respect the
integrity of forest ecosystems.''
And the leading environmental groups are opposed to any
treaty, fearing that it would appeal to the lowest common
dominator and take years to negotiate, thereby giving free reign
to unrestrained logging.
Even Canada's good intentions, they say, will do no more
than give international credence to the current Canadian
legislation. Instead states should pledge to preserve a certain
percentage of their forests each year.
Most of the world's tropical rainforests are located in
developing countries, where they are under extensive pressure
from loggers who want wood for export as well as people who need
lumber for heating, cooking, agriculture or grazing.
``Unless there is a way of alleviating poverty, you cannot
prevent (the poor) from going, when they need to, cut the trees
down,'' Razali said.
The World Resources Institute estimates that from 1960 to
1990, one fifth of all natural tropical rainforest cover was
lost, most of it through illegal logging..
``Thailand,'' said Stephen Howard of the World Wildlife
Fund, ``had to drape 50 million trees in safron robes ordaining
them as monks in a desperate attempt to step illegal logging.''
But among regions with tropical forests, those in Latin
America are stripped at a faster rate than elsewhere -- 5.7
million hectares a year since 1991, according to the
Washington-based Worldwatch Institute.
Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Venezuela as
well as Zaire in Africa alone accounted for 50 percent of the
tropical forest lost between 1991 and 1995, it said.