Greenpeace investigation reveals trail of illegal destruction from the Amazon Indian lands to Harrods
Greenpeace today called on the UK Government to seize imports of Brazilian mahogany coming into UK ports and for retailers, including Harrods and the John Lewis Partnership, to immediately remove mahogany products from their stores.
This follows the dramatic announcement made late yesterday by the Brazilian Government on board the MY Arctic Sunrise in the Amazon to suspend all transport and export of mahogany. The ban will stay until the Brazilian Government can carry out a full investigation into rampant illegalities in the industry. The Brazilian Government's own assessment is that 80% of logging in the Amazon is illegal. On the ground investigations by Greenpeace in Brazil have discovered mahogany logging on Indian lands, which is strictly prohibited, use of fraudulent documents and falsified mahogany inventories. The mahogany business has also been linked to political corruption, money laundering, death threats and murder.
For the last four months, Greenpeace has also been investigating the UK end of the trade. The illegal destruction is driven by the international market demand for mahogany. The UK is Brazil's third largest customer of Brazilian mahogany, which ends up as expensive reproduction furniture, pianos and guitars. Those potentially implicated include the John Lewis Partnership, Harrods - where a 12-seater solid Brazilian mahogany dining table sells for almost £000 - and Burns Guitars of London, whose instruments have been played by Elvis and Eric Clapton.
John Sauven, Director of Greenpeace's UK forest campaign, said:
"No one wants to deal in stolen goods. If the UK continues to play a role in the mahogany trade it will encourage illegal logging to continue. The UK Government and importers and retailers should stamp out the trade in illegal logging and end the trade in mahogany now."
Greenpeace's research is published today in a new report, "Partners in Mahogany Crime". This reveals that two 'mahogany kings' - Moisés Carvalho Pereira & Osmar Alves Ferreira - control most of the illegal trade in the Amazon's main mahogany region, Pará State. Moisés is said to make more than US$1 million a day during the logging season. More than 70% of the direct exports of mahogany from Pará to the UK come through companies linked to these two kings.
Following Greenpeace's investigations, its Amazon campaigner Paulo Adario received death threats and is under 24-hour protection from the Federal Police. The threats follow on from the recent murder of the Brazilian environmentalist and native Indian rights activist Dema Federicci, who worked closely with Greenpeace.
Greenpeace is shocked that while there have been many fine words from the UK Government on the need to control the international trade in illegal logging, there has been little action to back up the rhetoric. Tony Blair said in his party conference speech this year that "we can provide work and trade without deforestation".
Blair also wrote to Greenpeace last year saying: "Thank you for the important role Greenpeace is playing in tackling illegal logging." However, when Greenpeace wrote to Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, asking for copies of the required permits and documents that UK importers are legally obliged to complete for mahogany, he refused - hiding behind the Data Protection Act. Meacher wrote to Greenpeace saying that the relevant information could only be disclosed to law enforcement agencies "for the purposes of detection of prevention of a crime". Greenpeace is the only organisation currently investigating illegal logging in the region.
John Sauven added:
"It is outrageous that a UK Environment Minister should be anything less than open and transparent when it comes to protecting the Amazon rainforest. This is a clear failure by our government to play its role in protecting the world's last remaining ancient forests."
Notes to Editors:
(1) Images from Greenpeace's on-the-ground investigations in Brazil and of Brazilian mahogany products in the UK are available from the UK Press Office
(2) Copies of all correspondence are available from the UK Press Office
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
