Today I am blogging from Durban South Africa where I am presenting at the Civil Society event organized as an alternative to the corporate and timber industry dominated World Forestry Congress, a project of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Last night I represented the civil society organization when I debated 3 representatives of the UN and WFC about the dangers of industrial tree plantations, which the UN calls “planted forests.”

But plantations are not forests. While the UN FAO reps insist they only promote “sustainable” forest management, in reality, this has translated into massive forest destruction to make room for non-native, invasive industrial tree plantations.

They disguise this destruction with “green” names like afforestation, reforestation and forest restoration. But what they really mean is conversion of biodiverse, water purifying, climate stabilizing, community supporting native forests to water depleting, carbon releasing, community displacing tree plantations. Civil society has mobilized here in Durban to oppose this.

I will post more as I can–internet here is very sporadic and hard to find.