West African rosewood has become the world’s most trafficked illegal wildlife commodity, surpassing ivory, rhinoceros horn and big-game cats in value and volume of demand, according to Wood Central’s analysis of a policy brief by the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub. Exports of the prized hardwoods totalled $2 billion between 2017 and 2022, with individual logs going for $20,000 per metric ton in 2021, the brief states.
Driven by demand for high-end furniture and decorative veneers manufactured in Chinese production mills, “rosewood is now the world’s most trafficked illegal wildlife product in terms of both value and volume, surpassing ivory and rhinoceros horn combined,” the brief says, drawing on evidence gathered across Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.
It’s estimated that 70% of Ghana’s rosewood harvesting falls outside legal channels. The country shipped 540,000 metric tons to China between 2012 and 2019 despite an outright ban, according to the brief. Additionally, illegal harvesting in Cameroon and Nigeria accounts for 65% and 56% of total production, respectively.
“China’s demand for timber and illegal wildlife products contributes significantly to deforestation and biodiversity loss in West Africa,” the brief warns.
In return, Chinese investment in West Africa has surpassed $200 billion, financing roads, ports, agribusiness and wars, including those with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS, according to the brief.
Chinese firms regularly operate through shell companies or local agents to obscure accountability. “Regulatory enforcement remains underfunded and inconsistent, while laws requiring environmental impact assessments for logging are frequently bypassed or ignored. Forestry agencies and customs offices are often compromised by corruption,” the brief says.
Without strong political action to discourage the illegal trade of wildlife products, “the region’s forests — and the critical ecological and social benefits they provide — will remain at risk from unchecked Chinese firms’ exploitation.”
