Tuesday 4 June. Eight Greenpeace activists entered Aarhus harbour to reveal the import of 112 pallets of Amazonian plywood to Denmark. The activists stamped the plywood with a message 'Protect the Amazon - Stop Criminal Timber Imports' to highlight the fact that Denmark imports Amazonian wood from companies involved in illegal logging.
One of the volunteers Eduardo Quartim from Greenpeace Brazil said, "The unique Amazon rainforest is being destroyed by illegal and destructive logging. Some of it ends up as cheap plywood in the Danish market. Yet few Danes know this. We must all protect this ancient rainforest before it's too late. "
The plywood in question has been purchased from Amaplac, a subsidiary of the Malaysian corporation WTK, operating in Amazonas State, Brazil. There is evidence to show that Amaplac is involved with the criminal timber trade in the Amazon.
The plywood in question has been purchased from Amaplac, a subsidiary of the Malaysian corporation WTK, operating in Amazonas State, Brazil. There is evidence to show that Amaplac is involved with the criminal timber trade in Amazon.
During the log transport seasons from 1997 to 1999, WTK was found to be in the top 10 companies fined by IBAMA, the Brazilian environment agency, in Amazonas State for possessing illegal logs. Many of its third party suppliers were fined during this period for the illegal exploitation, transport and sale of logs.
Amaplac has also acquired land in Amazonas State that is claimed by the Deni Indians as part of their traditional lands. This brings up serious concerns about human rights violations in the Amazon conducted by the multinational logging companies.
The plywood in question was transported from Amazon to Hamburg on board the ship MV Enif. From Hamburg, the plywood was transported by train to Aarhus.
Robert Schmidt from Greenpeace Nordic said, "We have followed the transport of this timber from Amazon to Europe and tried to stop it both in UK and Germany before it reached Denmark. Now Greenpeace is demanding the Danish authorities to take steps to make sure that timber imported from Amazon to Denmark can be guaranteed to be of legal origin by independent certification such as FSC" (1).
Notes to editors:
(1) FSC, Forest Stewardship Council, is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, which was formed in 1993 to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management worldwide. It is the only international forest certification and labelling system, which uses globally endorsed ecological performance standards. It brings together a broad range of environmental, social and economic stakeholder interests. Further, it enjoys widespread and public company support in key market regions.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
