Brasília, June 29, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) is investigating the disappearance of a shipment of wood seized in the municipality of Porto de Moz, in the state of Pará. Since last year, when the Green Forever operation prohibited the wood from being sold, the lot had been entrusted to the sawmill responsible for committing the infraction.

According to Paulo Maia, Executive Manager of the Ibama in Santarém, in Pará, the Public Prosecutor's Office will be asked to accuse the guilty party, as soon as the quantity of wood remaining is calculated. "Our information must be precise. We shall measure how many cubic meters of wood are left. To be transported, all wood requires a Forest Product Transport authorization. Whoever lacks this document has the wood apprehended, as occurred last December," he explained.

Environmentalists from the Greenpeace movement decried the disappearance of 48 thousand cubic meters of wood. According to the organization's advisory office, the area was photographed from the air last December. After a new flight over the area at the end of May, they discovered that the wood was no longer in the mill's yard.

"We found that between 80 and 90% had disappeared," said the Greenpeace projects coordinator, Carlos Rittl, who sent complaints to the Ibama, the Ministry of Environment, and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in the state of Pará.

"R$ 7.7 million in fines were applied last year. In terms of market value, the quantity of wood apprehended would be worth roughly R$ 10 million. But the custodians are not supposed to sell the wood, which is not what happens in practice. They usually claim they are unaware of the loss," affirms the coordinator, who learned about the disappearance from residents of the region.

Reporter: Keite Camacho
Translator: David Silberstein