FB ALERT & RELEASE: Protest Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network’s Censoring of Facebook Criticism of Their Support for Primary Forest Logging

ECOLOGICAL INTERNET PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE and FACEBOOK ALERT!

Protest Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network’s Censoring of Facebook

Criticism of Their Support for Primary Forest Logging

Genuine and growing concern with their ongoing, publicly undefended support

for Forest Stewardship Council “certified” primary forest logging –

destroying an area two times the size of Texas – deleted, blocked and

reported to Facebook as terms of use violations.

March 22, 2010

From Earth’s Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)

http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet

Greenpeace US and International, as well as Rainforest Action Network, are

censoring comments of concern regarding their support for “sustainable

forest management” of old forests including primary rainforests on Facebook

and their blogs. Ecological Internet has been at the vanguard of working to

protect and restore primary and old growth forests globally by ending their

industrial logging and other developments. Unfortunately this has required

campaigning to confront Greenpeace[1] and Rainforest Action Network[2] – two

of the strongest supporters of continued primary forest logging.

“As Greenpeace condemns censorship by Nestle[3] of a YouTube video showing

their use of oil palm at the expense of orangutans, and RAN blasts Facebook

censorship of its use of tar sands financier RBC Bank’s logo, both groups

are systematically removing criticism of their support for first time

industrial primary forest logging from their facebook pages and blogs. To

who are these groups accountable,” asks Dr. Glen Barry? “For years these

groups have inconsistently promoted logging primary forests – and have

gotten away with ignoring genuine widespread concern that such old forests

are key to solving the biodiversity and climate change crises.”

Global ecological sustainability depends upon a consistent, ecologically

credible position on protecting old forests. Please visit and become

temporary ‘fans’ of the following Greenpeace (GP) and Rainforest Action

Network (RAN) facebook and blog sites, demanding the censorship end, that

they please resign from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) immediately,

and commit to ending industrial old forest logging. Please be polite yet

pointed that further censoring, stonewalling and vilification is

unacceptable.

RAN Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rainforestactionnetwork

RAN Blog: http://understory.ran.org/

Greenpeace US Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greenpeaceusa

Greenpeace International Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/greenpeace.international

Please fan and post copies with EI at: http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet

You may choose to mention that you are part of Ecological Internet’s large

global network of forest protectors demanding that RAN and GP please state

exactly how their support for FSC certified first time industrial logging of

500 year old trees in millions of years old primary forests – over an area

two times the size of Texas – is forest protection in any real meaningful

sense? If RAN and Greenpeace can target others for damaging the environment,

then clearly their own involvement in such massive and unexplained logging

of ancient forests is worthy of a campaign and deserves a reasoned response.

MORE

In most countries it is impossible to suggest primary and old growth forest

logging end and development be based upon standing old forests, as the

response is they are to be “sustainably” logged. Often it is pointed out

even “radical” NGOs like Greenpeace and the Rainforest Action Network

support first time industrial logging of primary and old growth forests.

Indeed, this greenwash – which is totally contrary to ecological science –

provides critical cover for a variety of schemes to log and develop

plantations in dwindling primary rainforests. Internationally, forest carbon

efforts – such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation

(REDD) – build upon the falsehood that logging primary forests, even

establishing plantations where they once stood, is a desirable outcome.

In light of current and emerging ecosystem, biodiversity and climate

science; as well as evident abrupt climate change, water scarcity and the

ongoing biodiversity extinction crises, it is clear that FSC certification

for primary and old-growth logging – except under specific circumstances

such as small scale community eco-forestry practiced by local peoples – is

one of the primary threats to old forests. This is particularly true when

many other certification schemes and business as usual industrial rainforest

logging make competing claims of sustainability, confusing consumers

regarding the environmental acceptability of a product – primary forest

timbers – that should be banned. It is becoming abundantly clear that ending

industrial diminishment and working for the full protection and restoration

of old forests are keystone responses to the climate change, biodiversity,

ecosystem, water and poverty crises.

You can still TAKE ACTION on this matter regarding RAN’s support for old

forest logging at:

http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=ran_ancient_fores

t_logging

Ancient Boreal Forests Must End

http://forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=gp_ancient_forests

Sustainability Depends Upon Ending Old Forest Logging

http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=ran_ancient_fores

t_logging

ramifications

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0320-hance_socialmedia.html

DISCUSS RELEASE:

http://www.rainforestportal.org/issues/

—

Please support Ecological Internet to protect and restore old

forests at http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/donate/

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http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/subscribe/