São Paulo, June 18, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The world's use of wood extracted from the Amazon forest was the theme of a debate yesterday (17) at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in a meeting sponsored by the International Tropic Timber Organization (ITTO).

The governor of the Brazilian state of Acre, Jorge Viana, one of the people invited to discuss their experiences with forest management and the commercial exploitation of tropical wood for export, assured that "the lumber trade in Brazil, which did US$ 6 million worth of business last year, will soon be the chief rival of the agricultural sector." The governor observed that sustainable management is important, but one should not forget the local community, which needs to be helped.

"There is a large and dangerous gap," Viana said, "between those who industrialize [wood] and the suppliers of raw material withdrawn from our forests, [a gap] which needs to be diminished, because local communities cannot endure receiving the current paltry sums." The governor of Acre also stated, during the UNCTAD debate, that "the best way to conserve our Amazon forest is by making sustainable use of it, through certified products."

For his part, the Secretary of Environment and Development from the state of Amazonas, Virgílio Viana, who also participated in the debate on tropic wood for export, said that he considers it "a tremendous absurdity for the whole world to say that our forest has to be preserved, because it is very valuable in natural terms, without remembering the people who live there, frequently in conditions of unacceptable poverty."

The Secretary from Amazonas presented a proposal to reduce tariffs and taxes on certified forest products, so that they can attain competitive prices on the international market. The governor of Acre, in support of this proposal, recalled that certification of forest products already exists but "is still insufficient."

Virgílio Viana said that great care must be taken "to avoid what is happening in São Paulo, with the elimination of the Atlantic Rain Forest." He declared that "tourism that degrades is of no interest to Amazônia" and, also, that it is necessary to have the wealth obtained by tourism companies shared with the local population.

Reporter: Eduardo Mamcasz
Translator: David Silberstein