While the EU has just voted to ban illegal timber, yesterday Brazil came a step closer to severely weakening the forest code which has helped protect the Amazon rainforest for over 70 years. The Brazilian congress approved the plan to amend the legislation, and if it becomes law then the area of the rainforest which can be legally destroyed will dramatically increase.
Paulo Adario and others from our Brazilian office were present and activists protested against a yes vote. There was also plenty of criticism from other concerned parties - environmentalists, rural organisations and legal representatives, for instance - but still the vote passed.
The amended forest code still has to pass several more hurdles before it reaches the statute books, but with each yes vote it becomes more and more likely it will do so. Eventually, it will have to go to the president who can sign it into law or kick it out. Hopefully it won't get that far, but we'll let you know how you can help if and when the time comes.
