Letter: Fight for forests

Sir : It is not difficult to find people to blame for the ecological disaster in the Indonesian forests : the Indonesian government, which turns a blind eye to the activities of the logging companies; the logging companies who exploit the forests which used to be the homes of native peoples and wildlife; the peasants who slash and burn.

They are all easy to blame but hard to influence . Other culprits lie much closer to hand: the British government which takes little or no action; UK companies which import tropical hardwoods; and the British man and woman in the street who buys hardwood window frames for a conservatory or a hardwood table or lavatory seat.

We cannot put the fires out today , but by avoiding these products ourselves and applying pressure to importing companies and our government we may be able to reduce the chances of them happening in the future.

DAVID ROBINSON

Burton on Trent, Staffordshire