Activists proposed a new interpretation for UN Forum on Forests in Geneva:
Introduction of GM trees is illegal

Campaigners demanding a global ban on GM trees arranged a side event on GM trees on last Tuesday in the UN Forum on Forests in Geneva. In the event, petitions protesting the decision made in the UN Kyoto meeting last December to included GM tree plantations in the climate change prevention toolkit were presented.

Planting GM trees is no answer to these problems. “One cannot put out the fire with gasoline”, said Hannu Hyvönen, coordinator in the Union of Ecoforestry, which was one of the launcher of the campaign. -In fact the last scientifical foundings have showed us clearly that todays genetic engineer in the world of genome is like a blind bull in a china shop. How can anyone assure of about the safety of genetic engineerign when we cannot anymore define the consept of genes, asked mr Hyvönen. look more on the site: http://video.elonmerkki.net/forum/thread/?id=223

Anne Petermann, co-Director of Global Justice Ecology Project and the chair of Stop GE trees Campaign in US presented the risks of GM trees and described the fast rate at which contamination over state borders couldspread through even single field trials. “
-Once the genie of GE trees is out of the bottle - once the pollen from these trees escapes, there is no turning back”, she stated.
Read the whole speech here:http://video.elonmerkki.net/forum/thread/?id=221

Mikko Vartiainen, a lawyer specializing in international law on natural resources, stressed that the burden of proof of safety is with proponents of GM trees. “Before the evidence that the risks presented here are not relevant, even the field trials should be illegal by the means of Convention of Biodiversity”.
( Read the whole speech here: http://video.elonmerkki.net/forum/thread/?id=222)

Open Letter to Governments

On May 14, the last day of the UNFF fourth session, campaigners distributed for the country delegations an open letter which stated the final conclusions of the side event. They stated that the introduction of GM trees also breaks the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol, which should control the transport of LMO:s (living modified organism) over the borders. Activists pointed out that there is no control system for pollen flowing with the wind or seeds been transported by birds.

Opening the Dialogue Between NGOs and Governmental Agents

In the open letter, the campaign delegation stated that dialogue between GM promoters and concerned scientists and movements is essential.
-The agreement regarding GM trees, made in Milano COP9 meeting should have been preceded by such a dialogue, said Anne Petermann.

The next step for the NGOs campaign will now be the next COP10 meeting in Buenos Aires this year.

More info on GM trees and sustainable alternatives on the campaign sites:
http://video.elonmerkki.net/forestforum
http://www.globaljusticeecology.org

Contacts:
Hannu Hyvönen, ekometsa AT sci.fi
Mikko Vartiainen, mikko.vartiainen AT nic.fi
Anne Petermann, globalecology AT gmavt.net

People´s Forest Forum
Global Ban on GM trees
http://video.elonmerkki.net/forestforum

OPEN LETTER FOR COUNTRY DELEGATIONS
IN FOURTH SESSION OF THE UN FORUM ON FORESTS
14th May 2004 in Geneva

1. Introduction
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in UNFF 4. The UN Forum on
Forests is a good, open and holistic forum for dealing with issues and we
were very pleased for the chance to present a side event on genetically
modified trees on 11 May. We hope that our participation stimulated some needed debate on this very important issue.

Further, we hope that the concerns and critique we presented will lead to
concrete activities within the UNFF and member countries after this meeting.

2. Summary of contributions
Our main conclusions are the following:

-Introduction of GM trees in open air field trials involves serious risks.
-These risks extend over national borders and across generations and are irreversible.
- The introduction of GM trees breaks the precautionary principle agreed to in the Biodiversity Convention and several other international legal instruments and also against the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol. (Art.1,10.6,16.1,16.3,16.4,17.1 and 17.4)

3. Suggestions for the country delegations and national governments
With regard to genetically modified trees, all responsible countries must take action to stop the introduction of GM trees, or their release into the environment.

We ask the delegations to bring our message to their national governments and parliaments to make the necessary decisions and legal changes which assure that genetically modified trees do not lead to irreversible and unwanted contamination of the forest cover of the Earth.

Humanity has learned many lessons from the pollution of our air and water. We have faced the consequences and must now devise methods for cleaning up this pollution and changing the practices that caused it in the first place.

However the pollution of native forests by genetically modified tree pollen can be neither cleaned up nor reversed once this pollen is released. Let us learn from the lessons of genetically modified crop contamination.

4. Invitation for open discussion and dialogue
Open dialogue between GM promoters and concerned scientists and movements is essential. There must be dialogue before agreements are reached which advance dangerous technologies such as genetically modified trees. The agreement reached at COP 9 in Milan should have been preceded by such a dialogue. For policy makers it is very important to have the opportunity for such dialogue to get answers and guidelines upon which to base their decisions.

In this UNFF 4 many good examples of effective and sustainable forestry alternatives have been presented. These alternatives provide the potential to both prevent climate change and at the same time provide wood, food and fuel for local economy.

Thank you once more for the opportunity to raise this important issue at UNFF 4. Special thanks for the Foreign ministry in Finland who gave the possibility to be included in Finnish delegation and for UNFF secretariat and secretary general Pekka Patosaari for the possibility to arrange the side event.

We invite you all to continue this dialogue and discussion on GM trees and sustainable alternatives on the open Internet pages of the People´s Forest Forum on the address:
http://video.elonmerkki.net/forestforum
contact: forestforum (at)video.elonmerkki.net