A largescale operation to combat illegal logging is being carried out in more than 145 areas of Brazil’s Paraná state, according to the ITTO’s recent TTM report.
The operation, dubbed ‘Angustifolia’ after the southern region’s Paraná pines, is focusing on 14 towns and involves 223 federal police inspectors from six Brazilian states.
The operation is already seeing results: many illegal activities have been detected in half of the 18 sites visited on the first day. The operation is expected to expand to other cities in the region.
Meanwhile, state environment inspectors have identified two types of fraud in Pará state which is helping to contribute to the 2 million m³ – or US$300m – of timber traded illegally within and outside the state each year.
One type of fraud involves increasing the authorised timber stock for logging, while the other involves issuing interstate timber credits which are created using fraudulent documents.
