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Appendix iii listing offers little protection to mahogany
20 June 1997
The announcement this morning by seven producer countries that they will include Mahogany on Appendix III of the CITES convention [1,2] is no substitute for their failure to agree proper international regulation of the trade, said Friends of the Earth. Listing under Appendix III only requires that documentation is provided to show that internationally traded timber has been obtained from a legal source.
Sarah Tyack of Friends of the Earth, attending the CITES conference in Harare, said:
"While an Appendix III listing requires documentation on the legality of the timber to be provided, it does not provide any control over the unsustainable levels of harvesting, and will not solve the problem of over-exploitation of mahogany and the resulting damage to the Amazon rainforest."
Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, and Mexico have all announced that they will put mahogany on Appendix III. Costa Rica included mahogany on Appendix III in 1996. It is expected the other producer countries will follow suit shortly.
Brazil also announced that it will set up a working group to work towards a sustainable mahogany trade. The working group, which will involve all producer and consumer countries, and organisations with relevant expertise, will meet over the next 18 months.
Friends of the Earth will continue to urge consumers to boycott mahogany until effective controls on the trade are in place.
ENDS
[1] CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
[2] Countries can unilaterally list a species on Appendix III of CITES.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Dec 2008
