Can Sustainable Mahogany Stem from CITES Science?
Bruce D. Rodan A day of reckoning approaches in the quest for sustainable management of tropical forests. On 15 November 2003, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) will become subject to scientific “nondetriment” findings under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This means that international trade in mahogany is to be restricted to levels that are not detrimental to the survival of the species, and the harvest is to be monitored to maintain mahogany in its role in the ecosystems. This action emerges from the shadow of many unsuccessful efforts to achieve sustainable forest management (SFM) in the tropics and to curb the illegal trade in mahogany. What’s new is that the sustainability of internationally traded mahogany is no longer merely a goal; it is now an agreed-upon obligation. For the first time, a heavily traded tropical timber species will be regulated under appendix II of CITES. Mahogany will be a test case for tropical
