Illegal British trade in endangered rainforest species

Investigations by Friends of the Earth have revealed that, despite international obligations for the British government to control imports of endangered species, wood from one of the rarest trees on Earth is freely available in Britain from suppliers lacking licences needed to sell the timber legally.

Under the terms of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Brazilian rosewood, from the Atlantic coast rainforests of Brazil, is banned from all international trade. However, Craft Supplies Ltd, of Buxton, Derbyshire, sells the timber openly, FoE says.

A recent study by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre has shown that more than 300 species of rainforest tree in South East Asia and Africa alone are in danger of extinction. Only six commercially traded timber species are currently included under the provisions of CITES.

Simon Counsell, forests campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said, “Existing controls on imports of rare rainforest wood into the UK are clearly inadequate. Immediate investigations should be undertaken by HM Customs and Excise, and prosecutions brought against companies found to be continuing the illegal sale of CITES-listed timber. The government should press for more timber species to be subject to international controls under CITES.”

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