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Mahogany Conservation: Status and Policy Initiatives
- Bruce D. Rodan, Adrian C. Newton, Adalberto Verissimo
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- Journal:
- Environmental Conservation / Volume 19 / Issue 4 / Winter 1992
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 24 August 2009, pp. 331-338
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Genuine or American mahogany is obtained from trees of the genus Swietenia (S. mahagoni, S. macrophylla, and S. humilis), and is one of the premier timbers of international commerce. The trade in mahogany commenced almost five centuries ago with S. mahagoni from the Caribbean; but following ‘commercial’ extinction of this resource, trade became centred on mahogany populations in South and Central America (S. macrophylla). The trade in mahogany is predominantly from primary forests, and has led to population and genetic resource declines — particularly in the Caribbean and Central America. More recently, there have been an increasing number of ‘commercial’ extinctions in South America. As the resource declines, pressures mount to accelerate the illegal extraction of mahogany from National Parks and lands reserved for indigenous (‘Indian’) peoples. Inability to control this trade threatens mahogany populations and genetic resources throughout its range, at the same time adversely affecting the livelihoods of indigenous peoples in the process.
Mahogany often regenerates poorly following logging operations that are conducted using current management practices, and further research is required to determine the optimum biological and economic conditions for in situ silviculture. Attempts to cultivate mahogany in plantations have met with little success in the Americas, due mainly to effects of the shoot-borer (Hypsipyla grandella), a moth larva that damages terminal shoots, so leading to excessive branching and reduced timber value (Figs 3 and 4). The success of mahogany plantations in the neotropics will require the development of an integrated pest-management system, perhaps involving the incorporation of pestresistant genotypes within agro-forestry or mixed plantation systems.
It is vital that appropriate silvicultural and trade practices are adopted to ensure sustainable mahogany extraction, while at the same time conserving an adequate population and genetic resource-base. To this end, effective trade monitoring and resource-regulation measures must be introduced to assist in controlling illegal trade and to encourage a scientifically managed, sustainable, utilization of mahogany. Two of the three mahogany species, S. humilis and S. mahagoni, have been listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The third and only other recognized species of Swietenia, S. macrophylla, should also be considered for listing in CITES Appendix II, thereby benefiting from the international trade-monitoring and resource regulation requirements consequent upon such listing.
Mahogany and CITES: moving beyond the veneer of legality
- Arthur G. Blundell, Bruce D. Rodan
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The genuine mahoganies (Swietenia spp., Meliaceae) are the most valuable timber species in Latin America. Only one species, bigleaf mahogany S. macrophylla, is still traded. Because of concerns regarding logging it is regulated under Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). We analyze implementation of CITES regulations by the USA, which is the major importer, comparing CITES statistics with data from US Customs to determine if shipments entering the USA have proper CITES documentation. Based on summary data for 1997–1999 (the most recent available), US Customs reports substantially more mahogany imports than CITES, although >90% of imports were accompanied by the proper CITES documents. The discrepancies resulted from (1) changes in shipment volume made after permits were issued, (2) data transcription and unit conversion errors, (3) mistaken inclusion of other species in Customs data, and (4) imports that might or might not have been accompanied by the appropriate CITES documents. The analysis demonstrates that the USA is properly implementing CITES requirements. However, mahogany may be smuggled under different species names. Furthermore, the numerous credible reports of widespread illegal mahogany logging suggest that a substantial proportion of US imports might have been obtained in a manner inconsistent with the domestic laws of the exporting countries. Thus illegally obtained mahogany might have been ‘legalized’ through the CITES process, with Appendix III providing a veneer of legality to what is otherwise illegal wood.