LA PALLICE, FRANCE - Greenpeace is today preventing the unloading of Great Bear Rainforest timber in the French port of La Pallice. The cargo on board the Teal Arrow included timber clearcut by International Forest Products (Interfor), the number one destroyer of Canada's ancient temperate rainforest. The timber is destined for French manufacturers and retailers, including the do-it-yourself company Lapeyre, one of Interfor's biggest customers.

The Teal Arrow was intercepted by the MV Greenpeace on its arrival at La Pallice. Victoria, BC doctor Clive Strauss (1) and Greenpeace Canada forest campaigner Gavin Edwards were among the eight activists who attached themselves to the offloading cranes, preventing the Interfor timber from being discharged. Other Greenpeace supporters unfurled banners reading "Say No To Canada's Ancient Forest Destruction" and "Destruction Of Canada's Ancient Forests: Stop It, Lapeyre." As of 9am Pacific time the climbers had been in place for 13 hours.

The action is being taken to highlight the fact that ninety five percent of Interfor's operations include large-scale clearcutting of the last ancient forests of Canada, such as the Great Bear Rainforest. The company refuses to take part in any meaningful discussions about the future of this global ecological treasure.(2)

"Interfor walked away from a moratorium in the Great Bear Rainforest and continues to blast new logging roads into critical rainforest areas for clearcut logging," said Gavin Edwards, Greenpeace Canada forest campaigner from La Pallice..

The Great Bear Rainforest is home to many threatened species. It is a unique habitat for black tailed deer, grey wolves, grizzly bears and a rare snow-white variation of the black bear called the Kermode or "Spirit Bear". Licences sold decades ago for just a few dollars, allow a small number of logging companies to destroy one of the most extensive areas of rainforest remaining in the world.

"While Interfor continues to destroy the Great Bear Rainforest, it is selling its destruction to French companies with false claims of high certification standards (3)," said Edwards. "French companies, like Lapeyre, should not be deceived. They must reject timber from Interfor and support companies with a genuine commitment to ancient forest conservation."

The protest in France is part of Greenpeace's ongoing campaign to save the world's last remaining ancient forests. In recent weeks, Greenpeace has carried out non-violent, direct actions in Hong Kong, Italy, USA and the Netherlands.

Notes to editors:

Dr. Clive Strauss (MD), age 44, is a general practitioner in Victoria, BC. He is currently on a sabbatical as the doctor on board the MV Greenpeace.

In early 2000, six BC forestry companies, calling themselves the 'Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative' (CFCI) agreed to a moratorium on logging in contentious areas of the Great Bear Rainforest, and began discussions with Greenpeace and other environmental groups about the future of forest practices in BC. In May, 2000, Interfor, choosing conflict over solutions, walked away from the discussions and resumed logging 1,000 year old trees.

Interfor has recently adopted a number of deceptive certification systems which can actually promote the destruction of Canada's rainforest. To help customers assess the misleading nature of Interfor's claims to conduct certified sustainable logging, Greenpeace has produced a briefing paper, Interfor: Certified Destruction, which can be downloaded at www.greenpeace.org

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