Posted on January, 07 2002

Brasilia, Brazil - With the forest management certification of 103,036 hectares of Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations belonging to Pisa Florestal S.A. (Norske-Skog group) and located in the southern state of Paraná, the total FSC-certified area in Brazil has now reached 1,049,510 hectares (286,675 hectares of natural Amazonian forests and 762,835 hectares of plantations in the South, Southeast and Central-West regions). "The one million hectares milestone is the result of five years of work to promote FSC in Brazil", said Dr. Walter Suiter, the FSC Brazilian Initiative's CEO. A total of 95 private companies in Brazil have obtained the FSC-certification for chain of custody of different products, which include timber in logs, sawn wood, various special cuts and components for the building and furniture industries, wood pulp cellulose, charcoal, hammocks, handtools, houseware and decorative objects, heart of palm, phyto-therapy products and so forth. "This shows that Brazilian businessmen become modern," said Dr. Garo Batmanian, WWF-Brazil's CEO and President of the Board of Directors of the FSC Brazilian Initiative. "They follow the global markets' trend in response to the growing demand from consumers who prefer products which do not damage the environment and respect social rights." FSC certification ensures the forests' sustainability while promoting the legalization of the forest and timber sectors. Currently, the demand for certified products is higher than the offer, even in Brazil, where the market buys one million m3/year of certified timber and will double this figure when supply is secured. For further information: Regina Vasquez, WWF-Brazil tel. +55-61-364-7483 e-mail:regina@wwf.org.br