Greenpeace activists boarded a shipment of illegal Brazilian
mahogany today at a Miami port, calling on President Bush to return
all mahogany shipments from Brazil and to investigate companies
that continue to buy it. The mahogany was part of a shipment that
came from Brazil on the APL Jade. The protestors arrived on
inflatable boats and hung a banner reading “President Bush, Stop
Illegal Logging” once aboard the ship.
“President Bush said recently that stopping illegal logging is a
priority,” said Scott Paul, Greenpeace forest campaigner, “but the
U.S. continues to be the biggest importer of illegal wood. The
United States needs to develop laws and enforce them to insure that
U.S. consumers are not unknowingly fueling this crime.”
On February 14th, President Bush gave a speech at NOAA where he
stated his commitment to combating illegal logging in developing
countries. He said he will be directing Secretary of State Collin
Powell to put together an initiative to combat illegal logging.
Last month, Greenpeace representatives met with a government task
force on this issue, including White House official James
Connaughton, Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality.
Earlier this week Greenpeace discovered seized mahogany in Miami
earmarked for Aljoma, a timber company based in Florida. In
addition, Greenpeace uncovered evidence that the United States
continues to receive illegal mahogany in several ports including
Baltimore, Charleston, Gulf Port, MS., Houston, Miami and Norfolk,
VA. As reported in The Wall Street Journal on March 29, 2002,
Greenpeace’s on-going investigation revealed that at least ten
million dollars worth of shipments have arrived into U.S. ports
following Brazil’s moratorium on mahogany exports in October. The
U.S. Government has been holding Brazilian mahogany in U.S. ports
for more than a month and has not indicated what they will do with
the cargo. The campaign to ban illegal mahogany intensified in
October 2001, following a Greenpeace report, titled “Partners in
Mahogany Crime,” that exposed rampant illegal trade in mahogany.
Based on Greenpeace’s investigation, the Brazilian government
halted all mahogany trade. Despite a tougher ban imposed in
December, some companies have managed to continue exporting to the
United States and other countries.
The European Union and CITES, an international convention that
deals with endangered species, also called for a ban on Amazon
mahogany until the Brazilian government can verify the legal status
of the wood. During a speech on April 9, 2002, President Cardoso of
Brazil confirmed the illegal trade in mahogany and supported a
global ban.
Read the report,
Partners in Mahogany Crime.
