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Iberian Lynx
Imperial Eagle



Future of cork oak forests hangs in the balance
16 May 2006  by World Wide Fund for Nature

Three quarters of the Western Mediterranean's cork oak forests could be lost within 10 years, threatening an economic and environmental crisis, according to a new WWF report.
On the eve of the International Wines and Spirits Fair in London this week, WWF warns that up to two million hectares of cork oak forests - around half the size of Switzerland - will be put at a heightened risk of desertification and forest fires due to a predicted decline in the cork stoppers market.

The report Cork Screwed? says that the future survival of the cork forests strongly depends upon the market for cork wine closures. However the trend away from cork stoppers could lead, in the worst case scenario, to synthetic and screw tops holding 95 per cent of the closure market by 2015. This would result in the loss of 62,500 jobs in the cork-producing regions. Endangered species such as the Iberian Lynx, Barbary Deer and the Imperial Iberian Eagle would be further put at risk of extinction.

Rebecca May, forests campaigner at WWF, said:"The cork oak forests could face an economic and environmental crisis unless we take action to secure their future now. It is vital that the wine and cork industries maintain the market for cork stoppers and in turn, help ensure the survival of the cork oak forests."

Cork stoppers, which are biodegradable and can be recycled into other products, represent almost 70 per cent of the total cork market value.

Every year over 15 billion cork stoppers are produced and sold to the wine industry. The cork landscapes provide a vital source of income for more than 100,000 people in the cork-producing countries of Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France.

Cork harvesting is an environmentally friendly process during which not a single tree is cut down. Synthetic and screw top closures are more harmful to the environment because they use more energy in production and are oil-based products.

WWF is calling on the cork industry to continue to invest in the quality of cork stoppers and the wine industry to make cork the preferred closure option. Better management practices in cork oak landscapes also need to be coupled with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation - the highest environmental certification system.

Nora Berrahmouni, co-ordinator of WWF Cork Oak Landscapes Programme,added: "A whole landscape, which has environmental as well as economic importance for the Western Mediterranean is at risk. We need to take action now so we don't lose this unique landscape forever."

Click here for the report.

For further information, please contact:

Alison Sutton, t: 01483 412388, m: 07747 455 256, e: asutton@wwf.org.uk

Also see The Closure Chronicles - The statesman, the lynx and the venison pie

 
 
 
Comments comments < hide 5 comments > COMMENTS add a comment
  Pure propaganda  - Melvyn Minnaar - 2006/05/16 12:00:00 AM
It seems quite naughty that this trying-for-headline, but actually rehashed cork propaganda is flashed just as the screwcap debate comes up for a short airing. (Despite last weeks bold effort at the Trophy wine show briefing, it never seems to get anywhere in South Africa, which is increasingly becoming known for cork-tainted wine.)
The question is whether the WWF is doing themselves and the real issues of biodiversity a favour by taking part in this pro-cork, hug-a-lynx nonsense. (Locally, Wosas Biodiversity and Wine Initiative also hooked onto this hash recently.) Another interesting question could call for the actual links between the WWF and that powerful Mediterranean lobby.
  Nonsense, really?  - No Greenie - 2006/05/16 12:00:00 AM
Check out http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/who_we_are/index.cfm for the WWF's credentials and decide for yourself...
  The Great WWF  - Melvyn Minnaar - 2006/05/17 12:00:00 AM
Funny how people don't read things properly! I have the highest regard for the WWF. I simply think they are on a wrong track supporting the cork industry this way.
  Closures - informed decisions  - Tony Hansen - 2006/05/17 12:00:00 AM
In response to Melvyn's comments, I would like to clearly respond with the BWI's position on the matter.

The BWI respects that it is each producers choice as to what closure they decide to use. Factoring in the wine, positioning, cost and marketing message, there are benefits to each of the respective closures.

However, as screw caps have a story with benefits, so do cork closures. The BWI is assisting WWF in communicating this message so that producers and consumers can make an informed decision. The facts communicated by WWF are real and credible.

On the other hand, the problem with cork-tainted wine in South Africa is a serious issue that needs to be urgently tackled by the cork industry and SA wine producers. Short of resolving this issue, economics will dictate a move away from cork with the associated negative impacts.
  other profit angle  - Laura Schneider - 2006/08/24 12:00:00 AM
The new synthetic stoppers do not lend themselves to re-corking the bottle, and it doesn't take a jaded consumer to conjecture that a big motivation is simply to sell more wine as it becomes more difficult to save partially consumed bottles with the new stoppers.

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