http://www.greenpeace.org/~thoml/fldfrst.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)
The lowland forests of the Amazon estuary are flooded to depths of ten metres or more for six months of the year. During this long wet season - from January to June - the loggers move in and without any control, vast quantities of logs are floated out. One of biggest companies logging in the Amazon Estuary is a company named, Eidai, 49 per cent of whose shares are owned by the multinational, Mitsubishi.
Traditionally, virola was the most sought after species exported from the Amazon Estuary, preceded only by mahogany from the "upland" forests. However, as supplies have been exhausted, virola has fallen to fourth place in the timber exports from Brazil. The United States is the biggest importer of plywood and veneer from this wood.
The environmental impact of this exploitation is severe. In certain areas the exploitation is so intense that very little tree cover is left behind. This results in an elimination of seedlings and dramatic changes in the river ecosystem. It is estimated that at current rates of exploitation, the demand created by the hundreds of sawmills in the region will decimate stocks of virola within ten years.
In the 80s virola was the principle wood exported from the Amazon estuary, in the state of Para. The wood, mostly for export, is used for construction in household interiors. It is also used for high quality veneer and plywood, produced for both internal and external markets.
However, as supplies have been exhausted, the industry has become more intensive and moved from extensive logging of the floodplains to intensive logging of high density virola in the swamp forests. The use of heavy machinery is increasing and the dredging of artificial channels to transport the logs results in significant changes to this unique and fragile ecosystem. But in the face of declining stocks, efforts to diversify to other species have merely exacerbated the damage.
The kapok, or "tree of life" is one of the species logged as a substitute to virola. It is the biggest tree on the shores of the Amazon's white water rivers and is sacred to local people. Birds flock to it in the evening and herons and storks nest in its branches, giving the "tree of life" its name.
The volume of virola currently marketed requires the annual exploitation of 50km2 of swamp forest or over 1,400km2 of floodplain forest in the Amazon estuary. In some areas already 95 per cent of sawmills report difficulties in purchasing this wood. This decline is reflected by high unemployment and rural exodus from the estuary region.
Most virola is logged on private land and the relationship between landlord and worker reflects the grossly unbalanced and exploitative working situation typical of Brazilian history. The workers are paid very little for the wood which they log during the rainy season. For the rest of year they are unemployed and forced to pay inflated prices for essential goods from their landlords.
In addition to the social damage wreaked on local people by the working conditions of the logging industry, there are serious concerns about health risks surrounding the process at the sawmill itself. The mills frequently use a highly toxic drying agent known as "chinese powder" or PCP which workers are exposed to with no protection. No information is provided to employees about the potential danger of exposure to this product, which can cause cancer and infertility.
The total lack of safety precautions for workers extracting the logs and in the sawmills themselves, results in frequent accidents, mutilations and even deaths. Children are also employed, with no training and little pay.