The next workshop will take place on March 3, World Wildlife Day, with the theme “Management of neotropical tree species included in CITES.” The webinar will be broadcast live on the ACTO YouTube channel.

 The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is carrying out work to support Amazonian countries in conducting studies on the population of different species of the genus Cedrela spp. (Cedar) and to prepare them for the implementation of Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Since August 2020, with the inclusion of this genus in Appendix II of the Convention, all species will have to comply with more export requirements. There are 17 species of the genus Cedrela in the world, 11 of which occur in the Amazon Region.

The next step in supporting the Amazonian countries is the development of a Regional Plan for Cedar, which will allow to develop a joint vision of the situation of this arboreal genus in the Amazonian region and, thus, to coordinate the efforts so that the exploitation and exportation of this forest resource do not compromise the survival of species in the wild.

Cedar is a tree that can reach 40 meters in height in the middle of the forest, and is highly sought after for the processing and sale of timber whose characteristics of high resistance and brightness make this forest resource quite explored and exported.

2021 World Wildlife Day

“Forests and livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet” is the theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day, celebrated on March 3rd.

As part of the recognition of the importance of forests for people’s lives, ACTO, through the Bioamazon Project, the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment, the CITES Scientific Authority – Peru, and the CITES Secretariat’s Neotropical Trees Working Group from CITES will be hosting the international webinar “Management of Neotropical tree species included in CITES”.

After the opening – which will be broadcast to the public by the ACTO YouTube channel from 10:00am – São Paulo time on Wednesday, March 3rd, the work teams of the Amazonian countries will participate in a technical workshop to advance the proposed Regional Plan for Cedro.

A first Regional Workshop on Non-detriment findings (DENP) was promoted by ACTO, in November 2020, with over ninety participants, when the methodological basis for the formulation of DENP for timber species in CITES Annex II was presented. The Non-detriment findings are essential requirements for international trade.

In addition to the workshop, a consultancy specialized in DENP hired by the Bioamazon Project, held bilateral meetings with each ACTO´s Member Countries in order to clarify doubts and detail the situation and needs of the Amazonian countries to adapt to the new requirements for international trade of species of the genus Cedrela.

Strengthening the capacities of the CITES´s Administrative and Scientific Authorities and the Forest Authorities of ACTO Member Countries – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela – is a step towards reaching a regional vision on the exploitation of cedar in the Amazon.

“It is essential to build, through cooperation with the Amazonian countries, the regional vision for the conservation of this forest resource so that its exploitation is carried out in a sustainable manner throughout the biome. In this way, the different cedar species can, at the same time, serve the region’s economy and prevail as wild species in the Amazon”, said Mauro Ruffino, coordinator of the Bioamazon Project. 

Published in the Bioamazon Newsletter, edition no. 7, January-February 2021.