Using a 30 year old treaty to combat the illegal timber trade

The global trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife products is now the second largest form of illicit commerce, surpassed only by the trade in illicit drugs. It is also one of the leading causes of global biodiversity loss. Over 1,500 trees species are considered globally threatened as a result of logging. This paper shows how the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), one of the most successful of all international treaties, can be used to control the illegal international trade in timber species. To date only 23 timber species have been listed on the three appendices of CITES. Under the provisions of the Convention, Parties shall not allow trade in specimens except in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, thus controlling the international trade in these species. This includes the illegal timber trade.

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) King is one of a limited number of timber species in international trade that is currently regulated under CITES. Since mahogany has been listed on Appendix III of CITES, illegal shipments of mahogany have been seized and stopped.