The council claims Peruvian mahogany is exported to America and used for luxury furniture and car dashboards. It says tribes are clashing with illegal loggers and are becoming more exposed to illness and disease.
Trees up to 120ft tall are estimated to be worth US$100,000 as timber in the US.
Logging is believed to be taking place in the Tahuamanu rainforest in areas earmarked for indigenous tribes.
The NRDC and two Peruvian indigenous rights groups are taking legal action against three US importers and several federal agencies. They claim the imports breach the US Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
