Environmental groups have warned that European policy on forests risks being greenwashed at the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe (INC-3) which starts on January 28 in Antalya, Turkey.
In a letter presented by Hüma Ülgen of the Turkish Nature Conservation Centre on behalf of a broad coalition of over 30 European environmental groups and networks, negotiators were asked to include clear and ambitious biodiversity standards and targets for a future European forestry policy, as well as to include measures to ensure compliance with the treaty. Central to this would be the inclusion of suitable indicators to allow for proper monitoring and evaluation of the treaty’s implementation. Without these strengthening factors, environmental groups are concerned that the treaty could end up as nothing but empty publicity.
Friedrich Wulf, Friends of the Earth Europe’s Biodiversity Campaigner said: “Without signifant improvements, this agreement will become a dangerous greenwashed marketing tool.”
“So far, the text of the treaty is weak and imbalanced,” said Dr Peri Kourakli of BirdLife Europe. “Everyone is eager to highlight the value of sustainable forest management, but the draft still does not say what this actually means in terms of biodiversity.”
