November 3, 1999

For paper consumers in Europe

AVOID PAPER FROM INDONESIAN RAINFORESTS PRODUCED BY APRIL

Singapore-based paper company APRIL has begun to market its paper, produced by clearcutting rainforest, together with a Finnish-based UPM-Kymmene. Fine paper brand, known as PaperOne, is produced of clearcut wood originating from rainforests in Indonesian province of Riau, Sumatra, using management techniques that destroy habitats of several endangered species. Landuse of APRIL is also problematic from a social point of view as it violates the rights of local communities to their culture and land they have traditionally used. This has resulted in numerous land disputes with the locals.

Undersigned organisations appeal to paper consumers in Europe that they would avoid PaperOne products until APRIL changes its way of operating as follows:

• clearcutting of natural forests will be stopped
• local communities, also hunters and gatherers that may be hard to reach, give their permission to planting of open areas or already destroyed areas
• losses originating from previous loggings and construction of infrastructure will be fully compensated to local communities

Signed by:

ARA, Wolfgang Kuhlmann, Germany
Action SEED Europe, Karen Grant
BothENDS, Christa Nooy, Marie-Jose Vervest, the Netherlands
Bruno-Manser-Fonds, John Künzli, Switzerland
Caledonia Reborn/Reforest Scotland, David Whyte, United Kindom
EarthLink e. V.- The People & Nature Network, Bernhard Henselmann, Germany
FERN/FME, Saskia Ozinga, UK
Finnish Asiatic Society, Tove Selin, Finland
Finnish Nature League, Olli Turunen, Finland
Forest Monitor, James Hewitt, United Kingdom
Friends of the Earth, Sarah Tyack, United Kingdom
Friends of the Earth Finland, Jan Kunnas, Finland
Friends of the Earth Japan, Randy Helten, Japan
Forest Peoples Programme, Mauricio Farhan Ferrari, UK
Global Witness, Patrick Alley, United Kingdom
Institut Dayakologi, Pontianak, Stepanus Djuweng, Indonesia
Leavenworth Audubon Adopt-a-Forest, Pat Rasmussen, USA
Milieudefensie - Friends of the Earth, Arjan Alkema, the Netherlands
Norwatch/FIOH, Morton Roenning, Norway
Planet Survey, Didier Amougou, Kamerun
Pro REGENWALD, László Maráz, Germany
Rainforest Action Network, Erick Brownstein, USA
Rettet den Regenwald, Reinhard Behrend, Germany
Robin Wood, Christoph Meyer, Germany
SKEPHI, Indro Tjahjono, Indonesia
Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, John Niss, Sweden
Trees, Simon Waters, UK
Urgewald, Agnes Dieckmann, Germany
WALHI - Friends of the Earth, Longgena Ginting, Indonesia