Pieces of Amazon Rainforest Sold Illegally Through Facebook | Abroad

Some lots for sale through the social platform are as big as a thousand football fields.

Facebook is said to have informed the British news site that it is “willing to cooperate with local authorities”, but indicated that it will not take independent action itself to stop the trade.

“Our trade policy requires buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations,” added the California technology company.

The leader of one of the indigenous peoples has asked Facebook to do more. The country’s government would be unwilling to stop the sale.

‘Don’t be ashamed’

According to Ivaneide Bandeira, head of the NGO Kanindé, the sellers are not hesitant: “They are not ashamed of illegally selling parts of the land.”

Anyone can find the offered lots by entering the correct search terms in Facebook’s sales platform. Satellite images and geographic coordinates have also been added to some advertisements.

According to the BBC, many sellers are honest: they just admit that they are not an authority in this field. They don’t have certificates.

‘An investment opportunity’

One such seller is Fabricio Guimarães. He was caught with a hidden camera while he stated that he was not afraid of inspection: “There is zero chance of that.”

By illegal logging and ‘preparing’ agricultural land, he was able to triple his initial asking price, to a price of 28,800 euros. Fabricio is not a farmer. He sees selling land as an investment opportunity.

According to the British source, many of the ads come from Rondônia, one of the most deforested places in the Brazilian rainforest.

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