the timber network

A group of South American countries blocked the European Union’s move to list cedrela as a protected species under the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES). The wood species was highly valuable for carpenters and cigar boxes makers, mainly due to its natural durability and reddish color.

Peru and other states questioned the EC proposal for Appendix II listing presented at the recent CITES Conference of the Parties (COP) in The Hague, the Netherlands. During the CITES meeting, Peru argued that the EU proposal lacked scientific evidence. The blockage of the proposal was a blow to non-governmental organizations, which insist cedrela is endangered due to felling in national parks and protected areas of Peru and other countries.