TIMBER CRIMINALS INFILTRATE THE USA: ACTIVISTS BOARD SHIPMENT OF AMAZON CRIMINAL TIMBER TO PROTEST G8 LEADERS' LACK OF ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL LOGGING

Savannah, Georgia, USA/ Amsterdam, July 24th 2000

Today, 6 Greenpeace activists from the Group of Eight Nations (G-8) and European Union (EU) boarded the Danish vessel CIC Light, shipping criminal timber from the Amazon rainforest. The environmentalists attached themselves to the ship's cargo and unfurled a banner reading "Stop Illegal Logging" to prevent the ship from unloading Amazonian plywood from the Rimbunan Hijau group, a company repeatedly fined for possession of illegal timber.

In 1997, the G8 governments announced an Action Program of Forests to tackle the illegal timber trade. A progress report was issued during the 2000 summit, which ended yesterday in Okinawa, Japan, but no effective action has been taken.

"Although the final Communiqué of the G8 leaders refers to the issue of illegal logging and timber trade, words alone will not solve this global crisis ," said Phil Aikman, Greenpeace International Amazon campaigner. "The time to act is yesterday. G8 leaders must live up to their promises and provide lasting protection for the world's remaining ancient forests".

A recent Greenpeace 18-month investigation in remote regions of the Amazon has uncovered hard evidence that several companies who regularly export timber to the US are implicated in the illegal timber trade including the Rimbunan Hijau group, one of the world's top rainforest destroyers. The Brazilian Government estimates that 80% of all logging in the Brazilian Amazon is illegal.

"Every week criminal timber is being shipped into the US from around the world. The G8 governments promised to tackle the illegal timber trade, and are simply turning a blind eye to this flourishing market," said Phil Aikman. "By allowing companies to continue importing criminal timber into the US, which is the world's largest timber consumer, the US Government continues to exacerbate the worldwide problem of illegal logging".

Ancient forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) estimates that 80% of the Earth's original ancient forests have been destroyed or severely degraded. 1/7 of the Amazon rainforest has been lost.

Recently, IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental Agency) announced the results of a 60-day investigation into the timber industry of the Amazon State of Para. Around 1100 forest management plans have either been suspended or cancelled due to irregularities. "Over the last 2 years, Rimbunan Hijau and its suppliers have been fined for possession of illegal timber", said Rebeca Lerer, from the Brazilian Amazon campaign. "Companies like this must change their behavior and only use timber that comes from legal and sustainable sources. The importing countries must establish independent mechanisms to guarantee the legality of the timber being imported".

This Greenpeace action is the latest in a series of global protests to protect the Earth's last remaining ancient forests. In the past weeks, Greenpeace activists have exposed criminal timber imports into G-8 countries.

For a map showing the international illegal timber trade and further information, including the most recent actions, please visit: www.greenpeace.org/

Download the Greenpeace press backgrounder "The Amazon's major threat: Illegal Logging" here in pdf format or here in html