Amazon Updates
Greenpeace is in the Middle Lands right now with the Brazilian
federal environmental agency, IBAMA, and military police uncovering
the illegal mahogany trade. We have worked for several years in
the Amazon collecting data and investigating the illegal mahogany
logging, and now we are offering IBAMA our intelligence and logistical
support to uncover and seize illegal mahogany logs. Here is the
latest update from the jungle.
28 October 2001
Humaita camp, Middle Lands
I woke up with the sun rising. Guariba monkeys howled and parrots
cried in the bush, welcoming a new bright morning. Slowly, men
started to come out of the huts and a convoy of sleepy faces walked
down to the river.
After a cup of coffee, I played with Louro, a parrot that hangs
around here for about half an hour. The parrot is a good whistler,
and as he jumps from branch to branch of the caju tree, he spits
words in Portuguese he learned from living among humans.
The two helicopters left carrying a bunch of agents to the Carajari
airstrip. They will have to do two or three trips to get everybody
out there. The logistics are being reworked due to limitations
with fuel and time. I'm not getting involved on the discussions
- that's definitely the smartest thing to do.
Later that night at Camp Between Rivers, Middle Lands, Iriri river
 |
At 11 am, I arrived at the Carajari logging camp. About
1,000 mahogany logs - 2,700 cubic meters - were spread around
the camp, mostly piled on the stream that bordered the patio.
The logger's camp has a pretty good structure: 12 huts with
straw and plastic roofs. |
We found food storage with piles of packages of beans, rice,
salt, flower, oil, besides gasoline and chains for chainsaws.
There was also a manioc (food crop) plantation at the camp, an
indication that the loggers had been there for a long time - and
were planning to stay even longer.
The Carajari camp is located inside public lands, so any logging
in that region is completely illegal. Nevertheless, from the helicopter,
I saw several roads drawing brown lines among the green of the
forest - and what an amazing living forest it is with its huge
trees, a variety of palm trees and bromeliads.
We witnessed the work by IBAMA - they counted and measured the
logs and filed infraction acts. We had brief discussions about
the future of this timber. Again the logistics present a challenge
to the government: the only people with capacity to remove these
logs are loggers. IBAMA needs to act quickly other way this timber
will end up at sawmills yards.
We also heard some (nasty) news about the death threats to Paulo
Adario, the Amazon campaign coordinator. I heard that there is
a rumor that his head is now worth R$30,000 (15,000 Euros) - the
same as a federal deputy. News arriving from Humaita camp (the
place where we slept yesterday) has it that the police found a
man who is a partner of the gunmen of the region, and that he
was taking guns to the professional killers.
All IBAMA and police agents carry guns. It's a new situation for
me to work alongside armed people, but unfortunately that's the
reality we are operating in. The prize 'Quote of the Day' goes
to Paulo: "You cannot save the Amazon with flowers".
Now it's 7pm and I feel exhausted. We are based at the Between
Rivers camp, a blessed spot by the Iriri river. There is a permanent
breeze and the waters of the Iriri can put an end to any grumpy
mood. Had some good dinner and cold water - yes, there is a refrigerator
around! Today the temperature went over 40° Celsius
Tomorrow we are supposed to go to Juvelandia, a farm by the Iriri
river that belongs to a powerful local businessman. It is estimated
that there are 6,000 logs stored over there - we'll find about
that tomorrow. It's almost full moon tonight. We have a comfortable
hut to sleep in, with plenty of space for everyone. There is a
good energy in the air. The destruction and crimes we are witnessing
makes us go forward.
Let's see what happens tomorrow.
Rebeca
from the Middle Lands
Related stories
24 October: Brazilian
mahogany mafia exposed and the government suspends all mahogany
logging and transport and the Greenpeace
team arrives in Tucuma to join the federal investigation of
the illegal mahogany trade.
26 October: The Greenpeace
team is in Humaita, revisiting Kayapo Indian lands where illegal
mahohany logging was exposed a month ago.
27 October: Working with
Ibama in Humaita to prepare for further investigations.
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