VZCZCXYZ0025
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSO #0032/01 0191915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191904Z JAN 10
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0297
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000032 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ECON ETRD KCRM BR KJUS
SUBJECT: SAO PAULO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICE MAKING INROADS AGAINST 
ILLICIT LOGGING 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Creative, pro-active mechanisms and partnerships 
are enabling the Sao Paulo Environmental Police (SPEP) to combat 
illegal logging activities.  Over 8,000 tons of illegally cut wood, 
most from outside the state, has been apprehended by the SPEP 
within the last 2 years.  While SPEP continues to face resource and 
technical constraints, documentation fraud, and difficulty in 
pursuing prosecutions, partnerships with non-profit organizations 
are helping to train SPEP officers and raise the level of awareness 
against illicit logging.  As a result of the achievements so far, 
other Brazilian states are looking at Sao Paulo's efforts as a 
potential model.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
Background 
 
---------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) SPEP - founded in 1945 - is the largest environmental police 
force in Brazil.  With a staff of over 2,200, SPEP enforces state 
and federal environmental laws related to pollution, fishing, wild 
life protection and water usage. The force is dispersed along 
interstate roads, protected areas and public parks and works in 
partnership with federal and other states' environmental programs. 
Deputy State Secretary of Environment, Pedro Ubiratan Azevedo, told 
us that SPEP is currently engaged in 21 such projects, including 
the Document of Forest Origin (DOF) program (see para 4). 
 
 
 
Impeding Illegal Logging 
 
------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U) Though not a source of Amazon-produced lumber, Sao Paulo 
State consumes around 25 per cent of all the wood originating from 
the Amazon region, according to Carlos Beduschi, DOF program 
coordinator.  Illegal logging falls within the jurisdiction of SPEP 
as contraband lumber enters Sao Paulo State via the interstate 
highways connecting the Amazon region to the Port of Santos, 40 
miles south of Sao Paulo.  SPEP focuses their interdiction efforts 
on intercepting shipments enroute to the port and inspecting the 
6,000 warehouses and lumber yards located throughout Sao Paulo 
State. 
 
 
 
On the road with macroscopic cameras 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The DOF program requires that all transported wood 
materials have accompanying documentation declaring sustainability 
and legal origin.  Issued via the internet from the federal 
environmental agency, IBAMA, it has been enforced since 2006 and 
requires the cooperation between SPEP, NGOs and independent 
experts.  According to SPEP Captain Marcos Diniz, training remains 
a key to the success of the program.  He explained that the DOF 
system works due to the electronic system of "Authorization to 
Transport Forestry Products" (ATPF in Portuguese), which it 
replaced in 2007.  Squadrons positioned at eight roadside points 
throughout the state are equipped with a basic knowledge of the 
most commonly felled timber species as well as a hand held 
magnifying lens (10x).  Upon inspection of the carriage, volume and 
the DOF, the police may take several samples of the lumber along 
with all paper work to one of five stations equipped with a laptop 
and macroscopic camera system to transmit the sample images to the 
Instituto Florestal (IF), based in Sao Paulo.  A technician at IF 
then inspects and identifies all submitted samples immediately, 
 
 
confirming the results online for the officer who apprehended the 
shipment or stock.  Since 2008, the program has intercepted over 
8,000 tons of illegal lumber. 
 
 
 
Challenges Remain 
 
----------------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Despite the SPEP's budding success in combating illicit 
logging traffic, obstacles ranging from technical to financial to 
legal persist.  Diniz stated that the computerized inspection 
system is working well, but an additional 20 laptop stations are 
needed for use on the road.  Likewise, the considerable cost of the 
necessary equipment:   laptops, cameras, macroscopic lenses, and a 
sophisticated GPS system to track SPEP officers in the field, 
strains SPEP's limited budget.  Likewise, Diniz noted that all of 
SPEP's technology depends upon a reliable, high speed internet 
connection to transmit information and determine the legitimacy of 
shipments en route to the port.  Beyond technology, SPEP officers 
must develop expertise on forestry species.  Diniz and Beduschi 
highlighted the continuing need for training the police - with the 
help of the "Friends of the Amazon" program funded by the Center of 
Sustainable Studies of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in Sao 
Paulo. 
 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) According to Sao Paulo State Deputy Environment Secretary 
Ubiratan, challenges in detecting fraud in the DOF Program, 
especially document falsification, continue to grow.  For example, 
Beduschi cited the discrepancy of the quantity of lumber registered 
within the system as evidence of the extent of document fraud.  At 
present, 9 million cubic meters of licensed lumber is authorized 
within the DOF and ATPF systems, but over 16 million cubic meters 
of lumber actually flow through the market of Sao Paulo.  Many 
factors account for this difference: misidentification of the 
species, mixing of stock, improper allocation of scrap material and 
human error.  However, many shippers intentionally attempt to 
obfuscate the illegal material within a larger shipment of more 
commonly processed wood. 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) Law enforcement and government offices seek to raise 
awareness and cooperation among all segments of the government and 
society, including those beyond the borders of Sao Paulo. Several 
mentioned the need to work more closely with industry in Sao Paulo 
as well as the possibility of offering cross-border training and 
sponsoring conferences to raise awareness of illegal logging and 
transport.  Ultimately, all would like to see the Brazilian 
consumer drive the demand for legal product all the way back to the 
source. Azevedo admitted that the consumer would have to pay more 
for legal, sustainable forest products. 
 
 
 
 
 
Cooperative Law Enforcement 
 
--------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Beyond interdicting illegal lumber shipments, prosecuting 
cases remains a major challenge.  In recent discussions with U.S. 
Lacey Act expert and Department of Justice Prosecutor Richard 
Udell, Sao Paulo Public Ministry Chief Prosecutors for 
environmental crimes Jose Lutti and Luis Proen????a said Brazilian 
authorities generally focus on prosecuting large-scale felonies in 
the area of environmental policy, administration and coordination. 
They posited that if a law like the Lacey Act was implemented in 
the state of Sao Paulo, more small-scale trafficking cases could be 
 
 
pursued as misdemeanors.  Udell identified independent audits, 
compliance plans and a probationary system as necessary elements to 
enhance environmental crime enforcement in the state of Sao Paulo. 
The goal is to put pressure on all players in the market, per 
Udell, "the effect thus far has to encourage large companies like 
Home Depot to implement due diligence policies to make sure that 
they are trading in legal wood products." 
 
 
 
Comment: SPEP as a Model 
 
------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Using modern technology and flexible tactics to deploy 
mobile units around Sao Paulo, the SPEP is achieving results in 
interdicting illicit logging shipments.  With Sao Paulo State 
serving as a critical shipment crossroads for the logging industry, 
the SPEP is in a unique position to have a national impact on 
illegal logging.  Moreover, several regions within the Amazon, as 
well as neighboring Minas Gerais State are expressing interest in 
the SPEP/DOF program.  Although challenges remain to sustain and 
expand the DOF program, the achievements so far and continued 
cooperation with successful NGO forestry conservation programs such 
as Cadmadeira and Amigos da Amazonia (septel) are helping Brazil 
better protect its forestry resources and may offer opportunities 
to combat illegal lumber trafficking beyond the borders of Brazil. 
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