CITES rule in favour of mahogany

In the 1990's we led a UK and International campaign under the banner 'Mahogany is Murder' to bring attention to the huge ecological damage caused by extracting mahogany from the Brazilian rainforests.

The campaign highlighted the conflict between illegal loggers and indigenous tribes' people that resulted in many people being murdered whilst trying to protect their land.

The recent inclusion of mahogany under Annex II of the Convention on the International Trade in Threatened Species (CITES) means stricter control over the export of Brazilian mahogany. All exporting countries must demonstrate that their mahogany wood supply has come from:

• Sustainable forests.
• Produced legally.

The corporations buying and trading in mahogany were getting away with murder. The new commitment at last recognises the social and environmental value of this tree to the peoples of the Amazon. In the UK our campaigning long ago decimated the trade, this new agreement means that other countries must also take action to end this destructive mahogany business.

Matt Phillips,
Senior Biodiversity Campaigner,
Friends of the Earth.

The CITES ruling will help promote investment in forest management and offers more protection for the people and against deforestation of rainforests where the trees grow.

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