Portugal is Europe's gateway for illegal timber from the Amazon and other ancient forests.
We teamed up with Quercus, the largest environmental
organisation in Portugal, to challenge the new Portuguese
Government to take a strong public stand in full support of the
European Union's (EU) action plan to tackle the trade in illegal
timber and to back new European legislation to prohibit the import
of illegally logged timber.
The Skyman contains over US$253,000 of timber from the Brazilian
Amazon, including wood from at least four companies convicted in
Brazil of supplying illegal timber. One of them, Milton Schnorr,
has been fined for illegal logging in 2001, 2002 and 2004 whilst
the owner of Rancho da Cabocla, Moacir Ciesco, was arrested in
December for his company's illegal timber extraction on public
land.
Our
Amazon Campaigner Marcelo Marquesini, speaking from Leixoes, said
"The trade in Amazon timber from illegal and destructive logging is
linked to corruption, theft of public land, violence against local
communities and in some cases murder. By failing to tackle the
trade in this timber Portugal could be considered complicit in
these crimes."
The Brazilian Amazon has one of the world's highest rates of
forest destruction. In 2003, Amazon deforestation reached 24,000
km2 - an area equivalent to almost one third of Portugal. The State
of Para, the principal exporter of Amazon timber to Portugal,
accounts for over one-third of the total Amazon deforestation in
Brazil. This deforestation has been driven by over four decades of
illegal and destructive logging and the clearance of forest land
for activities such as cattle ranching.
Portugal is the world's fifth largest importer of timber from
the Brazilian Amazon and a significant importer of timber from
other ancient forest areas. Whilst other major EU importers of
timber such as Germany, UK, France and Belgium have supported the
rapid implementation of European measures to tackle illegal timber,
known as Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT),
Portugal has not shown the same commitment.
Helder Spinola from Quercus said "It is time for Portugal to
assume its responsibility and not turn a blind eye to illegal
activities in forest producing countries. We publicly challenge
Portugal's new government to show its environmental credentials by
fully supporting European measures to tackle the trade in illegal
timber and by backing new EU legislation to prohibit the import of
illegal timber."
At the end of 2004 Greenpeace and Quercus asked a number of
Portuguese timber importers to support the campaign for EU
legislation to stop the import of illegal timber. Two of them,
Sardinha & Leite and Sonae Industria have now declared their
support.
The organisations are now calling on all Portuguese importers to
reject any timber onboard the Skyman that comes from companies with
convictions for illegal logging and to obtain accreditation to
trade timber from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC timber
provides an independent guarantee that timber had come from forests
managed to the highest ecological and social standards.
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