Seven Brazilian Cities Pledge Not to Buy Illegally Logged Wood.

SAO PAULO, Brazil, November 16, 2005 (ENS) – The seven municipal administrations that constitute the Greater ABC region of metropolitan S?o Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, have signed a letter of commitment not to purchase illegally logged wood products. The ABC region is the country’s third largest consumer market for timber.

In the document, the cities pledge to pass laws to limit timber consumption to sources that adopt sustainable management practices, especially if the timber comes from the Amazon rainforest, and to prohibit the purchase and use of illegal wood in bidding processes for public works.

"The illegal extration of wood survives because a market exists that
feeds it. At least here in the ABC, we will stop financing the
destruction of the forest with the public money," said Fabrício France,
coordinator of the ONG Action Triangle, a local environmental group.