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.
29 October 2001
Juvelandia farm, Iriri river, Middle Lands
It's another beautiful morning in the Amazon. I had a good night
of sleep and I am ready or another day of work, as is everybody
else. Now I look at my expedition companions and feel close to
them, because we are sharing so much in so little time. In such
situations, you start caring about someone you barely know, you
make new friends instantaneity.
I'm actually surprised by the quality of people that are participating
on this operation. One of the Ibama agents is a poet. He writes
and then recites out loud, gesticulating and performing with so
much emotion. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about
human nature in this way. I'll never forget these guys.
I went on a short boat trip with Todd and Daniel the photographer
and videographer to document a logging raft near the Between Rivers
farms. The loggers built a dam across the Curua River to get trucks
and heavy equipment from one bank to the other. For me it was
an impressive demonstration of power. There were some logs stored
in the raft, which had been previously seized, along with the
machinery.
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Next stop was the Juvelandia farm, about an hour flight
from Between Rivers. It looked like a horror show. I've never
seen so much timber in my entire life. The raft held almost
6,000 cubic meters of mahogany that has been illegally logged
on public lands in the Middle Lands. There is also a log raft
at the river. |
"The loggers have been transporting this timber for 150
kilometres," Leland told me. He commands the army of Ibama
agents that are sweating to count and measure all the wood.
Today was the first time we met some loggers. Not the big patrons,
the ones that make money out of the forest destruction, but workers
that have little alternative to survive but to get involved in
logging. They told us that this timber belongs to Osmar Ferreira,
one of the mahogany kings exposed in the Greenpeace report released
last week about the illegal mahogany trade.
We also met some heroes. Two military police officers that have
been guarding the farm for four days, without help, food or water.
They were carrying guns to secure the area until Ibama was able
to arrive and seize the timber. One of them had long conversations
with Todd, our Canadian video producer. Todd gave the guy a hat
with the Canadian flag and the guy was walking around smiling
because of the gift and the new friend he met. This is really
bringing people together, people with different backgrounds united
by the circumstances, working with the will of contributing to
a better future.
We finished measuring and counting at around 1pm. Then the logistics
nightmare started again. Fernando, our airplane pilot, had to
make several flights to bring fuel for the three helicopters.
Only at 4:30 pm was everyone able to get out of Juvelandia and
head to Uruara, our last destination.
later that night
City of Uruara, State of Para
After the hottest and maybe most difficult day of the whole expedition,
we have nice comfortable rooms to spend the night. It was strange
to watch television. For the last few days, I felt as if I had
been transported into a completely unique world, where the news
of the war in Afghanistan does not make any sense and a few big,
rich guys decide the politics. I feel privileged to have access
to these different realities.
We were having dinner at a restaurant when the Greenpeace land
team arrived. It was nice and funny to see crewmembers from the
MV Arctic Sunrise (that is currently docked at the Santarem harbor)
walking inside the place, covered with dust from the Transamazonica
road. It was beautiful to see known faces and to hug friends,
even if some people were anxious and tense about the next morning,
the last step of this joint operation. I was so exhausted I went
to bed and had a heavy sleep without dreams.
Rebeca
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.
28 October: Greenpeace
and Ibama uncover around 1000 mahogany logos near the Iriri river.
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