Forestry Investment News
Efforts stepped up to tackle illegal logging trade in Brazil
02/10/2013
There are concerns that more needs to be done to protect Brazil’s forests from illegal loggers, which sell timber up to 40 per cent cheaper than the legal trade is able to.
Although deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is now at its lowest level for more than 20 years and the forestry industry is using sophisticated systems to track wood through the supply chain, there is still an issue with illegal timber, the Wood Resources Institute (WRI) said.
Among the issues identified in allowing the practice to continue, are abuses of the Forest Source Document system, which compares timber leaving the forest with the amounts authorised by the Brazilian Government. However, the WRI said that illegal loggers are managing to bypass the checks by setting up ‘ghost’ companies which use false forest management plans to pass off illegal wood as legally harvested timber.
A lack of co-ordination between Government departments and the organisations in different Brazilian states charged with enforcing forestry regulations, has also been highlighted as allowing illegal timber to slip through the net. Plus the high tax system and red tape involved in obtaining a logging licence is encouraging some businesses to abuse the checks and balances set up to protect the rainforest.
However, the WRI reported that a number of private and voluntary groups have started working on solutions to drive out illegal logging. Roundtable talks for stakeholders have been organised by Fundaçao Getulio Vargas, Rede Amigos da Amazônia, WWF-Brasil and Traffic. They aim to encourage discussion on legal practices and come up with a range of suggestions for action to present to the Brazilian Government.
The campaign includes an event put together by the Forest Legality Alliance, focusing on the international demand for timber and looking at the role of new technology to track wood in the supply chain.
Although deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is now at its lowest level for more than 20 years and the forestry industry is using sophisticated systems to track wood through the supply chain, there is still an issue with illegal timber, the Wood Resources Institute (WRI) said.
Among the issues identified in allowing the practice to continue, are abuses of the Forest Source Document system, which compares timber leaving the forest with the amounts authorised by the Brazilian Government. However, the WRI said that illegal loggers are managing to bypass the checks by setting up ‘ghost’ companies which use false forest management plans to pass off illegal wood as legally harvested timber.
A lack of co-ordination between Government departments and the organisations in different Brazilian states charged with enforcing forestry regulations, has also been highlighted as allowing illegal timber to slip through the net. Plus the high tax system and red tape involved in obtaining a logging licence is encouraging some businesses to abuse the checks and balances set up to protect the rainforest.
However, the WRI reported that a number of private and voluntary groups have started working on solutions to drive out illegal logging. Roundtable talks for stakeholders have been organised by Fundaçao Getulio Vargas, Rede Amigos da Amazônia, WWF-Brasil and Traffic. They aim to encourage discussion on legal practices and come up with a range of suggestions for action to present to the Brazilian Government.
The campaign includes an event put together by the Forest Legality Alliance, focusing on the international demand for timber and looking at the role of new technology to track wood in the supply chain.
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