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Wildlife Trade
Mahogany Trade FAQs
What is mahogany and where is it found?
American or big-leaf mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla, is a neotropical hardwood found from southern Mexico through Central America and throughout much of the Amazon basin, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Because it is one of the hardest woods that grows in the neotropics, mahogany is one of the most valuable species in the international timber trade.
Is mahogany endangered?
Some forest management experts argue that the current level of international trade in mahogany threatens the long-term survival of the species. Many other scientists are concerned that deforestation in the tropics, which cuts away at mahogany habitat, is a significant threat to the species. Conservationists argue that the current level of exploitation for trade is not sustainable, and current forestry practices may be harmful to the survival of the species. And even low levels of mahogany harvest can be problematic because of the secondary effects of logging enterprises: they create roads that provide access to farmers and migrants who clear the forest for agriculture. Finally, conservationists are concerned about big-leaf mahogany because Honduran mahogany (S. humilis) and Caribbean mahogany (S. mahagoni) already have been over-harvested and are now considered commercially exhausted.
Currently, mahogany populations are in decline in every range state. Many scientists feel that big-leaf mahogany is at risk of suffering the same fate as Caribbean and Honduran mahogany if trade in the species is not more carefully regulated, and if forest management techniques are not significantly improved. The Brazilian Botanical Society and the Brazilian Institute of Environmental and Renewable Natural Resources have both listed S. macrophylla as endangered. IUCN-The World Conservation Union lists the species as vulnerable.
Why is mahogany harvested?
Mahogany has been popular for centuries. With a well-established reputation on the international market for beauty and durability, mahogany is traded worldwide as sawn wood, in plywood, as veneer, and as finished furniture products. The hardness and deep reddish-brown color of the wood make it a popular material for furniture, inlays, veneers, and musical instruments.
Is the trade in mahogany regulated?
At the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in November 2002, big-leaf mahogany was listed on Appendix II of the convention. CITES is an international treaty, with more than 160 signatory nations, that regulates international wildlife trade. Under the provisions of Appendix II, international trade is strictly regulated - an exporting state must determine that any big-leaf mahogany (including logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, and plywood) has been legally obtained and that harvest was not detrimental to the survival of the species; only then can a CITES export permit be issued. States importing the products must not accept shipments that are not accompanied by a CITES permit issued by the exporting country.
Is mahogany logged or traded illegally?
Prior to the listing of big-leaf mahogany on CITES Appendix II, the mahogany trade was to be conducted according CITES Appendix III, on which it was previously listed by Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru. Evidence exists, however, that much of the trade was not in compliance. Disparities in trade data - importing countries reporting more mahogany imports than exporting countries declared - indicate that there may be substantial illegal logging and trading of mahogany. Illegally logged mahogany is exported out of range states without proper CITES certification, and is almost certainly harvested at levels that are unsustainable.
There is also evidence that mahogany is being harvested in violation of local timber regulations, particularly in Brazil and Peru, the world's largest exporters of mahogany. Mahogany is being harvested from lands belonging to indigenous peoples, in violation of Brazilian and Peruvian law. Recent press reports indicate that in some cases indigenous groups are allowing illegal logging on their lands and charging a premium to the loggers. In other cases, loggers manipulate the indigenous groups into giving up their hardwood. Conservationists estimate that more than half of the mahogany coming out of Brazil and Peru may have been extracted from indigenous lands.
What species are traded most heavily?
Because Caribbean mahogany and Honduran mahogany have been exploited to the point of commercial exhaustion, the vast majority of mahogany on the world market is big-leaf mahogany.
Which countries trade mahogany?
Until recently, the United States and the United Kingdom were by far the largest importers of mahogany, together importing 80 percent of the world's mahogany in trade. In the early 1990s, a consumer boycott of mahogany in the United Kingdom drastically reduced that country's share of the mahogany trade; however, the United States has increased imports in recent years and made up the difference. Other importing nations include the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. A great deal of mahogany is also consumed domestically by the range states and, in addition, range states trade mahogany with each other.
What is the United States' role in world mahogany trade?
Between 1992 and 1998, the United States imported an average of 80,000 cubic meters of mahogany every year. Between 1989 and 1995, a similar period, global mahogany trade averaged 111,000 cubic meters per year. U.S. imports of mahogany account for the majority - nearly 60 percent - of total global trade. Most of the mahogany imported into the United States comes from Brazil, with Peru and Bolivia important secondary sources.
How can we protect the world's remaining mahogany?
Because the United States is the world's largest consumer of mahogany, U.S. consumers can play a powerful role in protecting the species from over-harvesting, by purchasing only those timber and mahogany items that have been "green-certified" by an organization such as the Forest Stewardship Council. Certified timber has been harvested in a sustainable and legal manner, with minimal destruction to surrounding forests. By purchasing only sustainably harvested wood, consumers can help prevent big-leaf mahogany from suffering the same fate as Caribbean and Honduran mahogany.
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