Mega-corporation still destroying forests, despite green pledge
Does the mega-corporation APRIL -- which has cleared more than a million hectares of native forest in Sumatra, Indonesia -- speak with a forked tongue?
That certainly seems to be the case, based on recent photos of forest destruction in Sumatra, captured by Greenpeace.
APRIL made headline news earlier this year with a high-profile 'no-deforestation pledge'. Many observers had doubts, however, including ALERT director Bill Laurance in this essay.
APRIL -- also known as Asia Pacific Resources International Limited -- is one of the world's biggest producers of paper pulp. Much of this has come from clearing native forests in Sumatra -- turning rainforest trees into pulp and then planting exotic tree species in their place.
APRIL has long been criticized for its forest-destroying ways -- see, for instance, this TV interview with Bill Laurance on Australia's Foreign Correspondent program -- but seemed to be turning over a new leaf with its no-deforestation pledge.
Alas, the doubting Thomases may have been correct. APRIL claims the new, large-scale forest destruction is consistent with their pledge -- but 'no deforestation' means 'no deforestation', right?