SAVE documents violation of a temporary injunction

In recent months, various environmental organizations such as the SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund have fought in defence of an old, particularly species-rich rain forest in Cameroon. According to the plans of the American company Farm Hercules,70,000 hectares of rainforest should be cleared in one of the most important ecosystems on Earth, in order to build a plantation of oil palm tree..

Conservationists’ efforts: international protest petitions, the Rainforest Conference held in August last year and legal action taken by an international environmental advocate turned out to be successful: on 31 August 2011 the court ordered the cessation of clearing a section of the area and prohibited all activities on the planned oil palm plantations.

Despite a court order, SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund kept receiving again and again information from our observers in Cameroon about violations against the temporary injunction by Farm Hercules.

Now, for the first time, the violations can be proved by providing documentary evidence: SAVE is in possession of photographs which show that employees of the company continue to work and, according to eyewitnesses, the plantation was sizeably enlarged. These pictures were taken on January 5, 2012 by employees of a local conservation organization, who are partners of SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund in Cameroon.

Furthermore, these pictures show the before and after comparison of the plantation area that is now larger. In addition, another new deforested area is visible. Other images show wooden huts that were built for the company workers, which were prohibited by the court as well.

As punishment for each day, when violations of the court order take place in the oil palm plantations, the company must pay EUR 760 per day. The total amount of the fine to date is almost EUR 100,000. But so far, the company has refused to pay and lodged a complaint on 23.11.2011 to a higher court against arranged penalty payments.

SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund is highly concerned about violating the temporary Injunction and avoidance of responsibility by the oil palm company. SAVE hopes for further legal action, as well as a turn of the company policy. Environmentalists say: "Man and nature must be equally respected and should not be ignored".