The amount of Siamese rosewood exported by Laos and Cambodia in 2013 and 2014 is higher than the known population of the species, according to an Environmental Investigation Agency report that calls for the immediate suspension of trade in the species.
The report, “Red Alert,” states Laos and Cambodia exported a combined 75,702 cubic meters of Siamese rosewood. That number, according to the report, is more than the only verified population of Siamese rosewood on earth—80,000–100,000 trees in Thailand.
The species is highly sought-after in China to make reproduction Hongmu furniture, and the demand resulted in its listing on the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2013.
Laos and Cambodia have not provided evidence that the countries contain credible inventories of Siamese rosewood since the species’ inclusion in CITES, so the EIA believes the export amounts are likely detrimental to the survival of the species.
“Laos and Cambodia have systemically disregarded the most basic legal safeguards of UN trade rules for endangered species in ways that seriously undermine the credibility of CITES, while edging Siamese rosewood ever-closer to extinction,” said EIA Senior Forest Campaigner Jago Wadley in a statement. “CITES intervention is urgently required.”
The full report is online.
