"Because there are no approved Forest Management Plans in this
area, and because the raft appeared to have been hidden the second
day, we knew that there was a high probability of illegal activity,
so we returned to investigate further," said Paulo Adario,
Greenpeace Amazon campaigner.
One hundred of the logs were Samauma, an enormous and
increasingly rare tree called the "Queen of the Forest" by many
indigenous people and rubber tappers' communities. Because of its
vast size, the felling of one Samauma tree may damage as many as 30
surrounding trees.
"Not only were the trees cut illegally, but their removal left
vast trails of destruction in the forest" said Adario. "Some of
these logs measure more than 1.8 meters in diameter, and were very
old trees. All of this destruction to produce a few sheets of
plywood."
The head of IBAMA/Amazonas, Hamilton Casara, flew to the area on
Friday, May 12th, to inspect the raft. Although the Captain of the
tugboat "Comandante Edivaldo III", presented a copy of a
government-approved Forest Management Plan, he possessed no ATPF
(Authorization for Transport of Forest Products), which is
mandatory for transport of timber in the Amazon. IBAMA then
confiscated the raft and boat, and requested Greenpeace's
assistance to deliver the logs to Carauari.
"This apprehension is a result of an integrated action with
Greenpeace", said Hamilton Casara, head of IBAMA in the State of
Amazonas. "In accordance with legislation, the timber will be
donated to the community in Carauari. As Greenpeace currently has a
ship in the region, we asked for their help to tow the raft to the
community."
Prior to apprehension, the logs were the property of a local
entrepreneur, Ercival Lobo, whose family has been fined three times
in recent years for illegal transport of logs. The Lobos regularly
supply the multinational logging companies Carolina and
Compensa.
On Monday, May 15th, IBAMA discovered 155 more illegal logs
hidden in a narrow stream on the east bank of the Jurua River,
which were attached to the first raft for towing to Caraurai. And
on the 16th and 17th of May Greenpeace located an additional four
rafts, all of dubious origin.
"Illegal logging is obviously out of control in the Amazon,"
said Adario, "And this incident is a good example of how the
industry works in collusion to disguise their activities: the
papers of the tugboat Captain were from a Forest Management Plan
not even remotely connected to Mr. Lobo's operations. They work
like the Mafia here."
"Until proposed changes to the Brazilian Forest Code are
immediately approved by Congress, this low-cost wood from illegal
operations will continue to compete with responsibly harvested wood
from legitimate logging companies. All efforts to adopt sustainable
and certified forest management practices will be futile," Added
Adario. "Without certification of Amazon forest products by a
reputable institution such as the Forest Stewardship Council (3),
both Brazilian and overseas buyers must assume that they are
directly contributing to the destruction of this last great
tropical rainforest," Adario concluded.
For more information, please contact: Gina Sanchez, in
Amsterdam, ++316 5312 8907
Rebeca Lerer, onboard the Amazon Guardian, ++874 323 200 370, or
371
Notes to the editor:
- With only 160 people covering an area of 1,577,820 km2,
IBAMA/Amazonas has one third (1/3) of the needed structure and
personnel to fulfil its responsibilities, which includes the
control and supervision of the entire logging sector of the
state.
- This action is part of the MV Amazon Guardian tour in the
Amazon region that started March 22nd in Manaus. The ship sailed
the Purus River, launching a project with the Deni Indians to
support the demarcation of their lands. In the Jurua River,
Greenpeace has also announced the successful conclusion of a
natural rubber pilot project to produce as an example of the
potential for sustainable development of the region.