The Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was held in Kyoto, Japan, March 2–13, 1992. Several amendments to the CITES Appendices were considered at the meeting, including a proposal to add to these Appendices some tropical timber species.
Appendix I of CITES, lists species endangered with extinction which are, or may be, affected by international trade. Export of species listed in this appendix should be subjected to strict regulations in order not to further endanger their survival, and must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances for non-commercial purposes. Appendix II includes species which, although not necessarily presently threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid “utilisation incompatible with their survival”. Appendix II listing does not prohibit trade, but requires exporting countries to issue permits with each shipment, certifying that trade in the species is not detrimental to its survival in the wild; importing countries are also required not to accept shipments of species listed in this Appendic which are not properly documented.
As a result of the negotiations at the Kyoto meeting the proposals to include in Appendices I and II some South East Asian timber species (Intsia palembanica and Gonystylus bancanus), were withdrawn. Inclusion of the following timber species was adopted at the meeting:
| Appendix I: | Dalbergia nigra |
| Natural range: Brazil | |
| Proponent: Brazil | |
| Appendix II: | Guaiacum officinale |
| Natural range: Tropical South America, Caribbean, Puerto | |
| Rico and USA | |
| Proponent: USA | |
| Pericopsis elata | |
| Natural range: West Africa incl. Cameroon and Zaire | |
| Proponent: Denmark & U.K. | |
| Regulation will be restricted to logs, sawnwood and veneer. | |
| Swietenia mahagoni | |
| Natural range: Bahamas-Cayman Islands | |
| Proponent: Costa Rica & USA | |
| Regulation will be restricted to logs, sawnwood and veneer. |
Inclusion of tropical timber species in the CITES Appendices raised a certain amount of controversy. Harvesting of, and trade in, tropical timber species may at times lead to degradation of the forest and specific genepools. The main cause for species loss is, however, related to changes in land use and habitat destruction. Trade, denoting an economic value of timber and wood, can have a positive as well as a negative effect on the continued occurrence and availability of a species. Trade as such does not endanger a species, but unsustainable utilization will do so.
Harvesting in forestry removes large, mature individuals; although logging may damage juvenile trees present in the stand, timber species are not endangered in the same way as e.g. orangutans or orchids, in which trade may imply depletion of whole populations, including adults and juveniles. Harvesting of timber species can, in fact, generally be rendered compatible with the conservation of genetic resources of the species targeted for utilization through adequate planning, management and control of harvesting operations, and subsequent management of the logged-over stands. Information on the possibilities for sustainable forest management of the timber species proposed for inclusion, should be added to the criteria for listing species on CITES Appendices (Berne Criteria).
In summary, CITES listing should not become an end in itself. If such listing is to contribute towards conservation of the species and the genetic resources it contains, listing must be combined with research and forest management. As pointed out by some delegations at the Kyoto Conference of the Parties, appropriate linkages to this end must be established or strengthened between the CITES Secretariat and organizations which presently coordinate and support genetic conservation, such as FAO, IUCN and ITTO.
