Why Is Rosewood Protected

 Various types of rosewood (genus Dalbergia) are protected by Chinese treaties. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) held a conference from September 24 to October 4 this year in Johannesburg, South Africa, at which it was decided that all rosewood species of the genus Dalbergia and three species of Bubinga ( Guibourtia demeusei, Guibourtia pellegriniana and Guibourtia tessmannii) will be protected under CITES Appendix II. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), held this week in Johannesburg, placed restrictions on trade in all 300 species of rosewood to curb rampant illegal logging and trade in its timber. At Thursday's CITES summit, trade restrictions were placed on all 300 species of rosewood, meaning criminals can no longer pose as legitimate illegally cut species. 

At the International Wildlife Trade Summit in South Africa, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) took action to protect rosewood by placing all 300 species of rosewood under commercial restrictions. The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) surprised many on October 4 by extending long overdue protections to more than 250 species of rosewood, a wood that is rapidly being cut down to commercial extinction. In 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed all species of Madagascar Rosewood on Appendix II, banning their trade, except in rare cases where sustainability permits have been issued by the local CITES authority. Restrictions on the rosewood trade went into effect in 2017 after high demand for high-quality rosewood furniture in China led to conservation issues and violence in rosewood-producing areas. 

The International Congress on Endangered Species in Geneva is close to freeing musical instruments from rosewood trade restrictions. In 2017, CITES listed all Dalbergia species in the world, as well as another rosewood, banning their trade on Appendix II. Now all 300 species of rosewood (Dalbergia) have been listed on CITES Appendix II, the second highest level of protection. 

While Brazilian rosewood is currently under CITES protection (these laws will remain in place), all of the other nearly 300 protected species of rosewood are subject to similar regulations. Some types of rosewood can still be cut under the new CITES protection, but this will require permits, which should only be issued if they are considered environmentally friendly. Among the various species are mukula rosewood (Pterocarpus tinctorius), found in central and southern Africa; the endangered Malawi cedar (Widdringtonia Whytei); and a genus of the widely traded Spanish cedar (Cedrela spp.). In 2013, we witnessed a proposal by the Government of Belize to list the Honduran Rosewood on CITES Appendix II, which helped protect the species from unsustainable international trade and laid the foundation for the species' long-term conservation. More