“Brazil’s crackdown on the illegal mahogany trade is a direct
result of ongoing Greenpeace exposés,” said Scott Paul, Greenpeace
Forests Campaigner. “U.S. companies that use mahogany need to take
a serious look at their sources to be sure that they will no longer
fuel the destruction of the Amazon.”
As a result of ongoing Greenpeace investigations, the Brazilian
government last week suspended the mahogany trade and has since
seized thousands of logs in raids such as the one documented today.
The move was in anticipation of a Greenpeace report released on
October 24, 2001, entitled “Partners in Mahogany Crime.” The report
details rampant illegalities in the mahogany trade. Mounting
pressure on the logging industry also led to a death threat against
Greenpeace’s Amazon campaign coordinator Paulo Adario.
“The illegal mahogany industry has been driving the destruction
of the Amazon for years,” said Adario. “After witnessing the
rampant destruction of this rainforest firsthand, it is clear that
the only course of action left is to throw these loggers in jail
and put an end to this industry until it can be brought under
control.”
High quality mahogany is only found in pristine areas of
rainforest. The illegal mahogany trade intensifies the destruction
of these areas by leaving behind a network of roads and trails that
other loggers use to access the remaining forest.
On the whole, over 80 percent of Amazon timber is logged
illegally, with over 70 percent of the mahogany exports feeding
U.S. demand. The U.S. is the largest importer of forest products in
the world.
