John Hudson - the Department for International Development forestry advisor - will be speaking at the Science Museum tomorrow alongside environmental artist Angela Palmer.

 

Ghost Forest, Palmer's installation which opened in Trafalgar Square today, sees the square taken over by a series of large tree stumps transported from a commercially logged tropical primary forest in Western Africa.

 

The exhibition aims to provoke debate about the future of the world's rainforests ahead of December's UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

 

The installation will stand in Trafalgar Square for one week before moving to a city centre square in the Danish capital.

 

Nine different tree species were sourced in the Suhuma forest, Western Ghana, and shipped to Tilbury Docks in East London as part of a huge logistical undertaking.

 

Originally, the artist planned to exhibit the tree stumps upright, but on seeing the roots exposed and cleaned of soil said 'it was like seeing the nerve endings of the planet,' and decided to include them.

 

Palmer chose to source the tree stumps in Ghana, which over the past 50 years has lost 90% of its primary rainforests.

 

Ghana is now determined to preserve what is left, and is at the vanguard of responsible and sustainable forestry.

 

Its remaining forestry concessions are selectively logged under strict regulations, which allows the retention of the forest canopy, the natural regeneration of the forest, and a viable and sustainable timber industry for local people.

 

To reflect this, only a couple of trees in Ghost Forest have been logged, the rest are naturally fallen.

 

'This is not yet another message about climate change 'doom and gloom'', said the artist. 'It carries a message of hope and optimism for the future.'

 

'Ghana is serious about protecting her forests,' said John Hudson. 'DFID is pleased to be continuing its collaboration with Ghana under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) partnership agreement which the European Union will ratify later this week.'

 

The FLEGT agreement is the first of its kind between the EU and an African country.

 

It provides a system to make sure that all timber imports into the European Community from Ghana have been legally acquired, harvested, transported and exported.

 

Ghana entered the agreement to demonstrate its commitment to good forest governance, and  to maintain access to new and valued markets.

 

The EU is Ghana's most valuable market, accounting for 43% of the value of total exports and 33% of total volume.

 

Ghost Forest, the panel debate, will be held at the Science Museum on Tuesday, November 17 from 7pm. Visit the Science Museum website to book tickets. Angela Palmer's Ghost Forest exhibition runs until November 22 in Trafalgar Square, admission free.