Actions at UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Bonn, Germany

Activists Symbolically Cut Trees to Save Forests and Call for GE Trees Ban

Bonn, Germany-A large number of activists today stopped and cut Genetically
Engineered frankentrees that attempted to invade a tree planting ceremony
outside of the meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

"We came here to this event because this tree planting ceremony is
representative of corporate green-washing initiatives pretending to protect
biodiversity," said Peter Gerhardt of the German based group Robin Wood. "The
tree planting ceremony is symbolic of what industry is pushing--non-native,
often invasive trees for monoculture timber plantations. If industry has its
way, in the near future these will be genetically engineered (GE) trees for
production of second generation agrofuels or pulp and paper," he continued.

The activists expressed concern about the refusal of the EU and Brazil to ban
GE trees. "These trees are simply too dangerous, not only to forests, but also
to local communities and Indigenous Peoples who depend on forests for their
existence," stated Camila Moreno of Terra de Direitos of Brazil.

"Already forest dependent communities, especially women, are threatened by
monoculture timber plantations and GE trees will mean more plantations and an
even greater threat," stated Anne Petermann, of Global Justice Ecology Project,
and the STOP GE Trees Campaign. [1] "Imposing a ban on the release of
genetically engineered trees into the environment is the only sensible
position, which is supported by the entire African delegation plus numerous
Parties from Asia and Latin America."

The environmentalists also expressed their concern about the One Billion Trees
campaign of the UN Environment Program. [2] "This campaign fails to inform
people that planting the wrong tree at the wrong place can be ecologically and
socially harmful", stated Dr. Miguel Lovera, Chairperson of the Global Forest
Coalition.

"Companies also want to use GE trees and other tree monocultures for offsetting
carbon emissions," highlighted Ana Filippini of World Rainforest Movement and
the STOP GE Trees Campaign. "The destruction of forests, which are important
carbon sinks, for new tree plantations releases huge amounts of carbon,
worsening climate change. What we need is forest restoration with native
species, not monocultures."

A potential ban on GE trees was discussed at length during the first week of
the Biodiversity Convention and will now move into the High Level Session where
Ministers from around the world will decide what will happen with this issue.
A decision to stop GE trees is considered critically important at this time
because of the rapid advancement of GE trees technology, which is being
especially driven by the projected increase in demand for wood that would
accompany cellulose-based second generation agrofuels.