What’s the problem with ipé?
Revered for its beauty and hardness, it’s no surprise that ipé came to earn a place in hearts and minds around the world. But in recent years, that demand has unleashed a catastrophic toll on the Amazon rainforest and its people.
The crisis is multi-faceted: Ipé trees grow far apart from one another leading illegal harvesters to destroy countless other trees before they even get to the ipé. Access to ipé trees is often obtained through intimidation and violence — and even through intentional arson intended to drive people from their land — which is also a significant contributor to the forest fires we hear about in the news.
Though the forces behind this destruction are complex, the takeaway is simple: It is now totally unacceptable to buy ipé.
Is it okay to buy ipé if it has the right certifications?
Due to various forms of fraud that are common at the various stages of timber production, it’s almost impossible to distinguish between legally and illegally logged ipé. In fact, the official control system designed to prevent this is now being used to legitimize this fraud. As untraceable timber flows out of the Amazon, funding flows in, fuelling more deforestation.
—Greenpeace
The FSC does have standards and criteria for certifying wood products — and if ipé is harvested and processed in a way that meets these standards, it can be certified — but this is only a small percentage of the wood coming out of there and costs three times as much as non-certified ipé.
—FSC
What is the position of world governments?
Ipé was recently added to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) — the global agreement between governments that aims is to ensure that trade does not threaten the survival of species. Although considered by many to be long overdue, ipé’s inclusion on the CITES list may prove pivotal in preventing its demise.
What’s the best way to take a deeper dive into this subject?
A mesmerizing documentary was just released that chronicles the last fifty years of forestry and resource extraction in Brazil. We Are Guardians will bring you, the viewer, into the trenches to reveal the human story, and make you an evangelist for the cause.
