Portugal is Europe's gateway
for illegal timber from the Amazon and other
ancient forests.
23/03/2005 — The cargo ship Skyman had nearly
made its delivery of more than a quarter million
US dollars worth of illegal Amazonian logs.
Nearly. But as it sailed into Portugal, Greenpeace
activists rappelled from a bridge at the port
entry, blocking the ship's arrival in the
docking area.
We teamed up with Quercus, the largest environmental
organisation in Portugal, to challenge the
new Portuguese Government to take a strong
public stand in full support of the European
Union's (EU) action plan to tackle the trade
in illegal timber and to back new European
legislation to prohibit the import of illegally
logged timber.
The Skyman contains over US$253,000 of timber
from the Brazilian Amazon, including wood
from at least four companies convicted in
Brazil of supplying illegal timber. One of
them, Milton Schnorr, has been fined for illegal
logging in 2001, 2002 and 2004 whilst the
owner of Rancho da Cabocla, Moacir Ciesco,
was arrested in December for his company's
illegal timber extraction on public land.
Greenpeace delays the docking of the timber
carrier Skyman in the Port of Leixoes near
Porto in Portugal. Inflatables launched from
the Greenpeace ship The Arctic Sunrise were
kept away from the vessel by harbour police,
allowing the Skyman to unload it's cargo of
timber from companies involved in illegal
logging in Brazil.This protest exposes Portugal's
role as a European gateway for illegal timber
from the world's ancient forests. Portugal
is the 5th largest importer of timber from
the Brazilian Amazon.
Our Amazon Campaigner Marcelo Marquesini,
speaking from Leixoes, said "The trade
in Amazon timber from illegal and destructive
logging is linked to corruption, theft of
public land, violence against local communities
and in some cases murder. By failing to tackle
the trade in this timber Portugal could be
considered complicit in these crimes."
The Brazilian Amazon has one of the world's
highest rates of forest destruction. In 2003,
Amazon deforestation reached 24,000 km2 -
an area equivalent to almost one third of
Portugal. The State of Para, the principal
exporter of Amazon timber to Portugal, accounts
for over one-third of the total Amazon deforestation
in Brazil. This deforestation has been driven
by over four decades of illegal and destructive
logging and the clearance of forest land for
activities such as cattle ranching.
Portugal is the world's fifth largest importer
of timber from the Brazilian Amazon and a
significant importer of timber from other
ancient forest areas. Whilst other major EU
importers of timber such as Germany, UK, France
and Belgium have supported the rapid implementation
of European measures to tackle illegal timber,
known as Forest Law Enforcement Governance
and Trade (FLEGT), Portugal has not shown
the same commitment.
Helder Spinola from Quercus said "It
is time for Portugal to assume its responsibility
and not turn a blind eye to illegal activities
in forest producing countries. We publicly
challenge Portugal's new government to show
its environmental credentials by fully supporting
European measures to tackle the trade in illegal
timber and by backing new EU legislation to
prohibit the import of illegal timber."
At the end of 2004 Greenpeace and Quercus
asked a number of Portuguese timber importers
to support the campaign for EU legislation
to stop the import of illegal timber. Two
of them, Sardinha & Leite and Sonae Industria
have now declared their support.
The organisations are now calling on all Portuguese
importers to reject any timber onboard the
Skyman that comes from companies with convictions
for illegal logging and to obtain accreditation
to trade timber from the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC). FSC timber provides an independent
guarantee that timber had come from forests
managed to the highest ecological and social
standards.
