New CITES regulations for timber species Afzelia, Khaya, and Pterocarpus, and implications for African exporters and Chinese and Vietnamese importers
By Catherine Rutherford, Phuc X. To, Anh K. Luong, Xiufang Sun and Sofia T. Fenton View PublicationAfrican populations of highly exploited commercial timber species, Afzelia, Khaya, and Pterocarpus, have recently been listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in order to support their sustainable and legal trade. Many of these species come from countries with poor governance, high levels of corruption, and weak enforcement. China and Vietnam are the primary importers of much of this timber, and over the last 10-15 years, have been the main drivers of trade. These new regulations bring significant implementation challenges for both producer and consumer countries. This Policy Brief outlines the listings and discusses the consequences with a focus on China and Vietnam, the main importers.