Amazon Updates
28 October 2001
Humaita, Middle Lands, Xingu river
The sun is setting on the Xingu river. The teams that went to
the Carajari airstrip are back. They found a logging camp and
thousands of logs. A small river was blocked with the logs. "They
killed the river", Paulo told me. We are going back there
tomorrow to measure the volume of timber and document the scenario.
I'm the only woman in this group of 45 people. It's an intense
experience. All the guys are worried about me - even if they are
complete strangers. They know my name - but it doesn't seem possible
for me to memorize each one's name and the place they come from.
Everyone is respectful, but changing clothes and going to the
toilet have been proving to be challenging experiences.
I've asked Leiland, the head of the IBAMA operation, for how
long he has been working with the environmental agency. "Since
Ibama is Ibama," he says, with his typical smile. Before
that, he worked for other environmental and social institutions.
Leiland is a skinny guy, with a rough voice and squared glasses.
When you meet him for the first time, you would never think that
he is a ranger that stops forest criminals. In fact, most of the
IBAMA agents do not look like rangers. They look like ordinary
people, like someone you would see at the corner of your street,
at the supermarket or at the bank. As anywhere else, there are
good and bad people working for IBAMA. Some of them are real heroes:
Some others contribute to the negative fame of the agency because
of involvement with bribes and corruption.
"Many of these corruption accusations end up nowhere, "
one agent told me. "Even when we know something wrong is
going on, it's very hard to prove." For this mahogany operation,
IBAMA put together a group of agents from different parts of Brazil,
in a clear attempt to avoid corruption. "We work under very
hard conditions, at great risk and the pay is small," the
agents say. Leiland gives the best quote: "The only reason
to not be corrupt is a compromise with yourself, with your own
conscience." IBAMA is so understaffed that they estimate
they would need another 2,500 agents to do a proper monitoring
of the environment in the country.
We had dinner early, after bathing (again) in the waters of the
Xingu. The food is rice, beans and some meat and it tastes OK.
After some chatting, people start to look for their hammocks.
Soon the sound of snoring is louder than the sound of the generator
that keeps some lights on. I must say it's hard for me to fall
asleep. Everywhere around me, there are snoring men. If I move
in my hammock, the whole hut swings along. But the view is nice.
Almost full moon now, the sky is clear and starry, bringing the
promise of better days.
Rebeca
from the Middle Lands
Read Rebeca's first update
from the expedition to catch illegal loggers.
Related stories:
24
October - Brazilian mahogany mafia exposed and the government
suspends all mahogany logging and transport
26
September - Illegal mahogany logging in Amazon exposed
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