Regulations governing the international trade of big-leaf mahogany are due to come into force this month.
Controls adopted a year ago by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) became operational from November 15, resulting in the neotropical populations of big-leaf mahogany being listed on CITES Appendix II.
Shipments of the timber must now be accompanied by a CITES export permit – issued only if the wood can be proved to be from sustainable sources.
CITES secretary-general Willem Wijnstekers said illegal logging and unsustainable export levels were threatening to render the species commercially extinct.
He said: “By relying on the CITES permit system, exporters, importers and consumers of mahogany can be confident that they are using only legally and sustainably harvested timber.”
The US accounts for an estimated 60% of all big-leaf mahogany exports from countries including Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. The Dominican Republic, Britain and Spain are other big importers.
