good job.
What media coverage?
Take care
Ph

Yeah, quite a bit - it's all on Italian TV, apparently.

anything in the media in Finland? and can you address the concerns of the anonymous poster about the eventual loss of logging jobs?
GP says mot of the logging is done by a state owned corporation: are there talks of lay offs?
This question of jobs is most always part of the debates about regulating/restricting logging.
What is GP's assessment? Are logging jobs at risk?
Are there alternatives?

Just to correct my last posts since our logger correspondent is nto anonymous but signs as Eino-Kalevi. Sorry about that and thank you for correcting.
Ph

Hah, I've always wanted to be a real correspondent. Well I guess someone has to tell also to the world the other view. "Stay tuned" for more controversial information...

Well for the national media, at least the Finnish Public Broadcaster YLE reported the Rome incident.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/vasen/id8802.html

But of course the local media in Lapland is now nothing but this Greenpeace that and forest wars this and loggers that and reindeer heirders this.

Big newspaper Lapin Kansa has been balanced and also covered the Greenpeace point of view.

Local Inari paper "Inarilainen" instead attacks on full steam! Today the editorial had a title including harsh language. Inarilainen has especially pointed out that Sámi people have logging jobs too and only 8% of them get their income from reindeer heirding, not to even speak about the local Finnish people.

Of course Greenpeace probably tells "they can continue destroying fores.. logging somewhere else in Finland". But I don't think you can really deny that logging jobs in Inari aren't dangered because of this.

Inari has a petition going on that already about 3000 people have signed. Common message from the local people is "Leave, Greenpeace". The site also says that 200 people in Inari are working in forestry and logging. This is the official web site of the municipality of Inari.
http://www.inari.fi/ajankoht/tiedote.htm
http://www.inari.fi/adrs/signed.php3

Now I think I'll wait in excitement to see what kind of censorship Greenpeace will come up with my posts.

Hah, I've always wanted to be a real correspondent! Well I guess someone has to tell also to the world the other view. "Stay tuned" for more controversial information.

Well for the national media, at least the Finnish Public Broadcaster YLE reported the Rome incident.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/vasen/id8802.html

But of course the local media in Lapland is now nothing but this Greenpeace that and forest wars this and loggers that and reindeer heirders this.

Big newspaper Lapin Kansa has been balanced and also covered the Greenpeace point of view.

Local Inari paper "Inarilainen" instead attacks on full steam! Today the editorial had a title including harsh language. Inarilainen has especially pointed out that Sámi people have logging jobs too and only 8% of them get their income from reindeer heirding, not to even speak about the local Finnish people.

Of course Greenpeace probably tells "they can continue logging somewhere else in Finland". But I don't think you can really deny that logging jobs in Inari aren't dangered because of this.

Inari has a petition going on that already about 3000 people have signed. Common message from the local people is "Leave, Greenpeace". The site also says that 200 people in Inari are working in forestry and logging. This is the official web site of the municipality of Inari.
http://www.inari.fi/ajankoht/tiedote.htm
http://www.inari.fi/adrs/signed.php3

Hello Eino-Kalevi,
I just wonder what the loggers and the Inari people will do, when the last trees in your area have been logged? To me it seems much smarter to be a reindeer herder than a logger!

By the way, Greenpeace is NOT against logging, they just want to protect forests with high value, like ancient forests.

Ann

Greenpeace is clearly against logging in Inari. What is ancient? "High value" is a matter of opinion. In ancient times a thunder storm lightning could burn the whole forest down in a flash, because there was nobody to extinguish the fire.

Well for loggers after all the trees have been logged... I guess they'll plant new trees and wait very long? =)

Maybe the forestry in Lapland will die. Maybe the reindeer heirding will die after that. Agriculture has already almost died, unlike in northern Norway. Tourism will probably be the winning industry in a near future in Lapland. But many local people don't want more tourism, at least not overcommercial.

Eino - Greenpeace is not against logging in general, and certainly not against logging in the Inari area. You can have my word, as the editor of this weblog, on that!

Why would we be against logging? Why would we want to take away jobs? There is no conspiracy at work here - we are being quite open and transparent as to what we want to achieve. We're interested in preserving the old growth forests, and the culture of reindeer herding in those forests. Simple as that.

As Greenpeace is not against forestry in general, but against the logging of the last remaining old growth forests and other important reindeer forests with high conservation value, further protection does not mean any job layoffs. There are other state-owned and private forests which can be managed, as in the past.

It is not an easy solution, but to deny the problem does not lead to any long term solution of this important question.

Currently there are more jobs created from reindeer herding than from logging in state-owned land. The main economic backbone of the region in Lapland is tourism.

Cheers

Olli

There are already people in Finland who say that they'll now boycott _all_ reindeer meat because of these events. I bet the reindeer heirders who don't support Greenpeace, aren't more happy now...

There will undoubtly also be negative consequences to the forestry and logging overall in Finland.

There is no winner in a war.

Eino, you're saying that the boycott against the reindeer herders is will also have 'negative consequences to the forestry and logging overall' by such a boycott?

You may be right. It seems to makes little sense - and quite irresponsible - to have a boycott that purports to support logging and damages the reindeer herders - but instead has negative 'consequences' against logging.

You're right - this boycott will benefit no one!

No, I was saying that Greenpeace's actions have already caused boycotts against _all_ reideer meat, which is bad news for _all_ reindeer heirders, and Greenpeace's actions will probably also bring negative consequences to the forestry and logging overall in Finland.

Eino - you might want to recheck the facts on that. Greenpeace does not support these boycotts at all - we're supporting the reindeer herders.

So I don't see how we could have 'caused' them. I think you'll find that the boycotts were started by the forestry workers union - who have already decided - apparently without checking the facts - that we are here to cause damage. This is a regrettable knee-jerk reaction. Anyone who would like to come and spend time talking to us would learn that we're here for genuine, constructive reasons.

Here's a quote from the a press release from the Sámi Reindeer Herder's Association (March 16th):

"Reindeer herders have always been alone in the fight to save their livelihoods and lost the fight. State, Metsähallitus and the countiess have always prioritized other forms of land use, ignoring the needs of reindeer herding. For years reindeer herders have been offering information and making suggestions about the improvements for the members of the parliament and the government, but for nothing. It is only Greenpeace who has succeeded in pointing out the problems of reindeer herding. It must be seen as a positive issue, that there is someone who wants and dares to help, and gives support to reindeer husbandry, because by using official ways, thing have not got better.".