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Mahogany
trade curbs greeted by campaigners
By
Matthew Beard
14
November 2002
Environmentalists have
welcomed a decision by the United Nations to curb the
global trade in mahogany, the most valuable tree species
in the Amazon jungle.
The Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites),
meeting in Santiago yesterday, approved a proposal by
Guatemala and Nicaragua to impose stricter controls on
mahogany trade from Latin America to shield the species
from extinction caused by overharvesting to meet global
demands.
Those countries that
export the prized hardwood in the form of logs, planks
or veneer sheets, have a year to bring their practices
into compliance with the new rules, which do not apply
to countries such as Malaysia where the species has been
artificially introduced.
"This is not just
a victory for mahogany, it's a victory for the tropical
jungles, the indigenous communities of the Amazon and
for Cites itself," said Caroll Muffet of the
environmentalist group Defenders of Wildlife. But Brazil,
which produces nearly half the world's supply of the
wood, called the move a threat to free trade.
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