The Brazilian hardwood is known for its blood red colouring and is used in high-end furniture and musical instruments, with the decision by CITES to offer protection to the species set to allow this to continue, as felling will be controlled.
However, Spanish cedar and rosewood, which had been put forward for inclusion in CITES by the EUropean Union (EU), will not be protected after South American members of the CITES committee objected.
They complained that giving cedar trees CITES protection would endanger the species further as it would portray the image that it is of high value and lead to more logging, not less, as companies look to capitalise on its perceived financial value.
This has led the Species Survival Network (SSN) to state that CITES has failed to fulfil its promise.
“The World Bank estimates that developing nations are losing an estimated US$15bn a year through illegal logging,” said Kris Genovese, chair of the SSN Timber Working Group.
“Forests are like a long-term investments that can provide sustainable dividends. Only CITES can provide the international trade control mechanisms to protect that investment.”
The 55th meeting of the CITES standing committee is currently being held in The Hague in the Netherlands, with the protection of a number of plant and wildlife species being addressed during the two-week meeting.
