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Greenpeace activists protested this morning in Santarem harbour, a major exit point for Amazon timber to the European and US markets, demanding an end to illegal and destructive logging in the region.
Research by Greenpeace concluded that these companies purchased timber of illegal origin. Greenpeace requested that the Federal Prosecutor's Office and IBAMA (the Brazilian Government Environmental Agency) carry out a complete investigation into the companies exposed in the report. One of the key demands is the cancellation of Forest Management Plans (FMP) of logging companies that are known to be involved in illegal activities.
Most of the timber produced in Santarem is exported, mainly to Europe and the US. One of the major international traders is the Danish company DLH/ Nordisk that sells to Belgium, Denmark, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the USA. In some cases Forest Management Plans have been cancelled by IBAMA due to illegalities, but companies ignored the cancellations and continued to log illegally.
This morning's protest is part of Greenpeace's campaign to protect the world's ancient forests. Approximately 80 percent of the original global forests have already been destroyed. Time is running out for the remaining forests. Greenpeace calls on world governments to take immediate steps to halt forest destruction.
Notes: (1) A summary of the report The Santarem Five and Illegal Logging: Cemex - In 2000, Cemex purchased timber from the ghost companies ZENO Industrial and J.S. Madeiras; three Forest Management Plans were cancelled by IBAMA because they were located inside public lands. The company also bought 2,300 cubic metres of logs from deforestation sources. Madesa - Most of Madesa's timber supply came from a Forest Management
Plan that was cancelled in July 2001 because it was located inside
public lands and was covered by false papers. The other two Forest
Management Plans of the company were suspended in April 2001.
Estância Alecrim - In 2000, this company processed 11,247 cubic metres of logs coming from three Forest Management Plans and 26 areas of deforestation, plus another 521 cubic metres from small sawmills of which three are ghost companies: J.S.Madeiras/Madeplacas, ZENO Industrial & ITAMEX/Madeira do Gareira. (2) Timber coming from deforestation is by nature destructive to the environment, as deforestation means clear cutting forests and converting the land for other uses such as cattle grazing. One cubic meter of cedar from deforestation can be purchased for five Brazilian reais (US$2), while the same volume coming from managed forests cost as much as 25 reais. Therefore, the cheap timber coming from deforestation unfairly competes in the market with managed timber, and fuels forest destruction. (3) The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization. It was founded in 1993 by a diverse group of representatives from environmental and conservation groups, the timber industry, the forestry profession, indigenous peoples' organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from 25 countries. The FSC supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC promotes responsible forest management by evaluating and accrediting certifiers, by encouraging the development of national and regional forest management standards, and by providing public education and information about independent, third-party certification as a tool for ensuring that the world's forests are protected for future generations. Further information is available at www.fscoax.org or download Greenpeace'a briefing about the Amazon and FSC (30k pdf).
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Briefing: 
