Ecobreves – MEXICO: Illegal Timber Reaches the Government

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

MEXICO CITY, Sep 29 2007 (IPS) - Part of the tables, shelves and other wooden objects that the government of Mexico purchases — this year for a total of some 180 million dollars — comes from forests that were logged illegally, charge environmentalists. The Mexican Congress passed a law Sep. 5 that requires the government to purchase products with explicit “green” certification — proving they have been produced sustainably. However, the government has not yet recognized the order.

“There is a lack of commitment from the officials. Although they are obligated to purchase products that have green certification — granted by the Forestry Administration Council and which in Mexico covers more than 700,000 hectares of trees — the government authorized acquisition of other forest outputs, which is different and insufficient,” Héctor Magallón, of Greenpeace-Mexico, told Tierramérica.

“The legislators should protest because this is a flagrant violation of the law,” he added.