Tag Archives: Africa

FSC shows its teeth and boots controversial logging company

Posted on by

Conflict Timber Action in Caen Port

Danzer, a Swiss-German timber giant using controversial sources in the Congo will no longer be able to use the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label after yesterday when the FSC disassociated itself from the company. Most Americans haven’t heard of Danzer but the company does export large amounts of its veneer products to the U.S.

The FSC represents the strongest global forest product certification and we welcome this decision as no company like Danzer should be allowed to associate itself with one of the world’s most valuable green label.  Such a decision makes me optimistic about the FSC system because it can actually remove companies that truly don’t belong in the system. Nonetheless, the FSC still has a bit of work to do to ensure that it addresses other gaps that occur today in the system. Continue reading →

Challenging year ends in hope for Cameroonian environmental activist

Posted on by

Original blogpost by Alexa Phillips, Greenpeace Africa

For many people thoughts are already turning to the festive period and a well-earned rest. All Nasako Besingi wants for Christmas is for Herakles Farms to say they are leaving him and his fellow villagers’ land alone.

2012 has been a tough year for the Cameroonian activist, the director of the NGO Struggle to Economize Future Environment (SEFE), which has been leading resistance to Herakles’ proposed palm oil plantation in the country.  While preparing a peaceful demonstration last month, he was arrested with other SEFE activists and detained without charge.  For months he’s been subjected to constant harassment culminating in a court appearance this week where he again left without any charge being laid. Continue reading →

Herakles Farms Continues Forest Clearing in Cameroon

Posted on by

Originally posted to Greenpeace Africa.

A US-owned company is clearing natural forest in the southwest of Cameroon to establish a large-scale palm oil plantation, heightening social tension as serious questions about the legality of the project persist.

Aerial footage by Greenpeace taken earlier this month shows how trees in the largely forested concession area have been cleared by SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), a subsidiary of New York-based Herakles Farms.

The deforestation is taking place despite the fact SGSOC is operating via a 99-year land lease that has not yet been approved by Presidential Decree and is therefore questionable under Cameroonian Law.

If it is not stopped, the planned 730km2 concession will eventually be almost half the size of the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, or 10 times the size of Manhattan. It would destroy a densely forested area in a biodiversity hotspot, resulting in severe consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of residents and for the global climate. Continue reading →

How to make forest destruction look like “development”

Posted on by

Frédéric Amiel is head of the Forest Campaign for Greenpeace France

Bruce Wrobel is a man with his heart in the right place. You see, Bruce is in the agricultural business and he plans to solve the world’s complex food security issues by creating sustainable, community oriented projects. He is the CEO of Herakles Farms – a corporation with some very wealthy friends. Continue reading →