Bootleggers, Brokers, and Buyers
Rampant illegal logging on Indigenous land in Brazil's Amazon and the continued flow of tainted timber to EU and U.S. markets
A new investigative report from EIA documents a major illegal logging operation in Munduruku Indigenous Territory, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, and shows how illegal timber from the region is laundered into international supply chains. The investigation documents over 25,000 cubic meters of wood – enough to fill 830 shipping containers – produced in three illegal operations in the Amazon state of Pará and traces some of the wood to 11 importers in the U.S., France, Germany and Portugal.
The European Union (EU) and U.S. have laws in place prohibiting the import of illegally produced wood, but weak enforcement is rendering them largely ineffective in practice. The EU recently passed a more stringent law – the EU Deforestation Regulation – that has the potential to shut down the flow of illegal timber, but implementation of the law has twice been delayed by lawmakers, most recently until the end of 2026.
EIA is urging state and federal governments in Brazil to expeditiously adopt proposed measures to strengthen oversight of the timber sector, and to increase resources to monitor, detect and deter illegal invasions into Indigenous Territories. The EU and U.S. should investigate the timber imports identified in the report for violations of the EU Timber Regulation and U.S. Lacey Act, and the EU must fully implement the EU Deforestation Regulation without further weakening or delays.
