On June 18, the Brazilian government connived with illegal timber traders in Brazil by voting against the inclusion of the hardwood mahogany in a list of endangered species at a meeting of the Convention on Endangered Species being held in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The conference was attended by representatives of 123 countries. Sixty-seven countries voted with Brazil against the inclusion of mahogany in the list, while 47 voted in favour.
The territories of the indigenous peoples of Amazonia and forest reservations are the main target of the illegal timber trade promoted by national and transnational corporations. The traders also operate in Malaysia, the United States and England.
The president of Ibama (the Brazilian Institute for Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), Eduardo Martins, who led the Brazilian delegation at the conference, abstained from voting while at the same time defending the exploitation of mahogany.
In addition to including representatives of the Association of Export Timber Companies in his delegation, Martins pressured representatives of other countries to vote in favour of the claims of multinational timber companies.
In so doing, Martins ignored a report issued by the Secretariat for Strategic Affairs denouncing the theft of hardwood, by Asian companies in particular. The report shows that 80% of the timber they trade is being illegally taken.
According to Greenpeace, Brazil is the main exporter of mahogany in the world. Greenpeace estimates that at least 3.1 million cubic metres of mahogany were exported from Brazil between 1971 and 1990, most of it leaving the country illegally.
The forests where this hardwood can be found are concentrated in the states of Acre, Para, Rondonia, Amazonas, Mato Grosso and Maranhao, where indigenous areas and forest reserves are located.
According to data collected by the Indianist Missionary Council, hardwood — particularly mahogany — was stolen from 33 indigenous areas in 1996. In some cases, the Indians are persuaded by woodcutters to take part in the illegal activity, but most indigenous leaders condemn the trade, which has caused serious environmental damage in their territories.
The IMC says that many indigenous populations are being threatened by woodcutters, and some Indians have been murdered by them in recent years.