Madagascar

Since CITES banned the global trade of Malagasy rosewood in 2013, the country has faced a dilemma: what to do with the illegally harvested timber in ...

“In Lyon, some countries expressed concern about the status of the stockpiled timber and suggested an additional audit before allowing any domestic trade,” Whitbourn at the CITES secretariat said. However, because Madagascar failed to implement the action plan fully, CITES hasn’t lifted the trade embargo and has blocked plans to sell the seized wood on the global market. They warn that permitting domestic use could allow tainted rosewood not in government control to enter the markets and encourage more illegal harvesting. It is unclear if domestic sales will contribute to the government’s revenues. Of the remainder, traffickers declared about 10% of the logs but never turned them over to the government. The country has been working on a business plan with the help of the World Bank that would allow a one-off sale. At COP16, two years later, Madagascar agreed to an action plan to deal with the confiscated wood. Despite being a biodiversity hotspot with rich tropical forests, the island nation is one of the poorest in the world. Responding to an international outcry, the Malagasy government started confiscating illegally harvested timber in 2011. Rajoelina returned as president in 2019 in a democratically held election, but allegations that he relied on the illegal rosewood trade to gain influential backers and boost his electoral fortunes continue to dog him. They suspended global trade in the species until Madagascar meets certain conditions to safeguard these tree species. Since 2013, global trade in Malagasy rosewood has been banned under CITES, the international convention on the wildlife trade.