INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATION (ITTO)

ITTO & CITES: Collaboration for

trade in sustainably managed

tropical tree species

Workshop on trade in Pericopsis elata (Afrormosia/

Assamela) and policy lessons learned for FLEGT and

CITES, London, UK, 26th - 27th February 2015

Background

• Collaboration since early 1990s through

participation in and support of CITES Timber

Working Group and later Mahogany Working

Group; several ITTC and CITES decisions call

for cooperation

• Worked together in 2005-06 to develop a large

capacity building project; this gave rise to phase

1 of the ITTO-CITES Program (2007-2010)

• Phase 2 proposal developed in 2011 and

commenced in 2012 (2012-2016)

• Now working on Phase 3 proposal

ITTO-CITES Program

Major activities:

• Design of targeted resource inventories

• Develop/implement improved management plans

• Undertake case studies on, develop guidelines for and

make NDFs

• Develop cost-effective regulatory systems for

endangered/threatened timber species (tracking, etc.)

• CITES training workshops

ITTO-CITES Program

Funding

• Phase 1 $3.75 million over 3.5 years; Phase 2 nearly

$9 million

• EU/EC provided 80% of phase 1 funding (2.4 million

euros) and 67% (5 million euros) of phase 2 funding

through grants from European Commission

• Remaining (and additional) funds pledged by various

donors at ITTO Council Sessions (USA, Switzerland,

Norway, Japan, Germany, Netherlands, New

Zealand, BPF, and private sector)

ITTO-CITES Program

Scope

• Funds cover 3 tropical regions – Africa, Latin

America and Asia

• Focus of assistance on significant exporters of main

CITES Appendix II listed tropical timber species in

trade (Pericopsis elata – afrormosia; Gonystylus

spp. – ramin; Swietenia macrophylla – mahogany);

phase 2 extended work to other species/countries

(Aquileria/Gyrinops spp., Cedrela odorata,

Dalbergia spp., Diospyros spp., Prunus africana)

• Workshops and training materials benefit all

countries (including importers)

ITTO-CITES Program

Current status

• Over 30 activities underway in all target countries;

similar number completed/pending funding

• ITTO and CITES also implementing activities (eg

toolbox, promotional videos, manuals)

• Several regional studies/workshops convened

already (develop afrormosia action plan; African

workshop on potential new species for CITES

listing; Mahogany Working Group; NDFs for timber

species; log-sawn conversion factors for

mahogany and cedrela; regional market study for

cedrela; Asian workshop for ramin; trade study on

products outside annotations; etc)

ITTO-CITES Program

Selected outputs to date

• Swietenia macrophylla export quota determined in Peru;

sample plots established to provide information on

growth and response to harvesting impacts

• Continued measurement/analysis of permanent sample

plots of Swietenia macrophylla in Brazil

• DNA tracing of ramin in Sarawak, Malaysia; Prunus and

afrormosia in Africa

• NDF reports produced and exports of Prunus africana

recommenced from Cameroon, DRC

• Listing proposals for Madagascar’s threatened timber

species adopted at CITES CoP 16

• NDF reports produced for Pericopsis elata in Cameroon,

Congo, DRC

1. Refining range estimates of Pericopsis

• Cameroon: ANAFOR estimated in 2010 and revised

in 2014; 4 735 000 ha range mostly in southeast

• Congo: CNIAF estimated in 2010; 4 791 968 ha

range concentrated in north Congo

• DRC: DCN estimated in 2014; 38 407 553 ha range

concentrated in Equator and Orientale provinces

Work also identified most promising concessions/FMUs

to focus inventories, NDFs, etc.

Afrormosia work

2. Enhancing controls on international trade

• assisted Cameroon, Congo and DRC in training field

inspectors in the control of the trade in Pericopsis

and implementation of CITES during phase I

(DRC/DCN) and phase II ( Cameroon/ ANAFOR and

Congo/CNIAF)

• established tracking systems (including DNA-based)

and improved statistical information systems in

Cameroon and Congo (DRC pending)

Afrormosia work

3. NDFs and export quotas

Cameroon:

• validated industry inventories undertaken 2003-09

• inventories validated/updated in several main

concessions

• study on log/sawn conversion efficiency (0.42 vs

0.33)

• MED of 90cm adopted along with simple

management plans for main concessions

• NDF completed in 2010 and sawnwood export

quotas set since then

• P. elata from Cameroon removed from CITES

significant trade review process

Afrormosia work

3. NDFs and export quotas

Congo:

• only 3 concessions in P. elata range had inventories

in 2009, all showed low stocking (<.05 sph)

• focused on Tala Tala concession (SIFCO), no

inventory but higher stocking known in some parts

• Tala Tala total area over 600,000 ha; focused on

75,000 block to be harvested 2010-14

• Inventories confirmed higher densities (.26 sph)

• NDF finalized and export quota established

• Post-harvest surveys show good regeneration

Afrormosia work

3. NDFs and export quotas

DRC:

• 23 concessions in P. elata range; only 6 had

inventories in 2013

• Attempted to validate inventories, develop simple

management plans

• Many problems collecting data, worked with timber

industry to develop initial quota from 6 concessions

(16,690 m3)

• Worked with EU FLEGT to finalize NDF in 2014, 3

additional concessions completed inventories

• EU SRG accepted quota in principle but requires

validation of inventories and details of shipments

Afrormosia work

• DRC 2000-2011 50,000 m3 logs, sawn, veneer

• DRC 2012-14 25,000 m3 logs, sawn, veneer

• DRC 2015 quota 23,240 m3 logs, sawn, veneer

(subject to verification of inventory data, provision of

details for each shipment for exports to EU)

• Cameroon 2014 14,400 m3 sawn; slightly higher in

previous years but no annual quota requests

• Congo 2014 2,223.3 m3 logs; 5,039.1 m3 sawn;

varies but no annual requests; 2015 will likely be

higher since more inventories going on

Afrormosia quotas

CITES and FLEGT

• CITES based on premise that countries that list

species have an interest in managing them well (but

has little/no funds to help them do so)

• Development of TLAS and robust definitions of

legality in VPA countries will help CITES

implementation

• Don’t expect easy path to adoption of general

principles of legality of acquisition in CITES forum

• Phase 3 of ITTO-CITES Program will strengthen

assistance to countries for legality assurance

measures for CITES species; important to work

synergistically

THANK YOU

www.itto.int