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| Species programmes | |
| . Elephants | |
| . Falcon | |
| • Great apes | |
| . Hawksbill turtle | |
| . Mahogany |  |
| . Sturgeons | |
| Other issues | |
| . Introduction from the sea | |
| Bigleaf mahogany The history of Swietenia macrophylla and CITES goes back to 1992 when Costa Rica and the United States of America submitted, at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP8, Kyoto), an unsuccessful proposal to include this species in Appendix II. At CoP9 (Fort Lauderdale, 1994), the Netherlands submitted a proposal to the same effect and with the same lack of success. In 1995, Costa Rica included the species in Appendix III, restricting the listing to the populations in the Americas. A new proposal to include the bigleaf mahogany in Appendix II was rejected at CoP10 (Harare, 1997). Nevertheless the Conference of the Parties decided at that meeting to establish a working group, comprising the range States and importing countries, in order to examine the conservation status of the bigleaf mahogany and make recommendations to ensure sustainable international trade. After that meeting, Bolivia, Brazil and Mexico listed their populations of Swietenia macrophylla in Appendix III. At CoP11 (Gigiri, 2000), Brazil reported in document Doc. 11.38.2 on the conclusions of the working group, which had held a meeting in that country in June 1998. The countries party to the Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica (Amazonian Cooperation Treaty) reiterated their commitment to comply with all the obligations relating to the listing in Appendix III of Swietenia macrophylla in the region. Discussions at CoP11 led to the establishment of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group, whose mandate was detailed in Decision 11.4. After that meeting, Colombia and Peru also listed their populations of Swietenia macrophylla in Appendix III. Various range States of Swietenia macrophylla as well as the main importing countries at the time (Argentina, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States) attended the first meeting of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 2001. Participants in that meeting also included the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the International Wood Products Association (IWPA), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the CITES Secretariat. At its 12th meeting, the Conference of the Parties considered the report of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group (see document CoP12 Doc. 47) and Guatemala and Nicaragua made a proposal (CoP12 Prop. 50) to include the neotropical populations of Swietenia macrophylla in Appendix II, covering only logs, sawn timber, veneer and plywood. The proposal was adopted and came into effect on 15 November 2003. The Conference of the Parties agreed at the same meeting to maintain the Working Group but gave it a new mandate which was recorded in Decision 12.21. The second meeting of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group was held in Belem, Brazil, in October 2003 and resulted in a series of recommendations. Twelve of the 17 range States of that species attended, as well as two of the main importing countries (the United Kingdom and the United States), a representative of the CITES Plants Committee, ITTO, Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia (IMAZON, Amazon Institute of People and the Environment), TRAFFIC and the CITES Secretariat. The recommendations of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group were presented at the 14th meeting of the Plants Committee (Windhoek, February 2004) in order to establish priorities and to seek practical advice on their implementation [see documents PC14 Doc. 19.1 (Rev. 1), PC14 WG7 Doc.1, and PC14 Summary Record]. The Working Group completed the tasks allocated to it in Decision 12.21 with the presentation by Brazil of a report (document CoP13 Doc. 39, Annex) at CoP13 (Bangkok, 2004). At the same meeting, the Conference of the Parties decided that the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group would continue its work now under the Plants Committee (see Decisions 13.55 to 13.59). At its 15th meeting (Geneva, May 2005), the Plants Committee made a statement specifying the new mandate of the Working Group and its composition. Later on, the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group submitted its work plan (see document PC16 Doc. 19.1) at the 16th meeting of the Plants Committee (Lima, July 2006), which, in accordance with Decision 13.56, shall present a report at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties on the progress made by the Working Group. There is no doubt that the Parties have made great efforts to promote the conservation and sustainable utilization of the bigleaf mahogany since its inclusion in Appendix III in 1995. Meetings of the Bigleaf Mahogany Working Group Third meeting of the Mahogany Working Group
Second meeting of the Mahogany Working Group
First meeting of the Mahogany Working Group
Other meetings on the bigleaf mahogany Report of the workshop on capacity-building for the implementation
of the CITES Appendix-II listing of mahogany First Mesoamerican workshop: current status and harmonization
of procedures for the sustainable use of Swietenia macrophylla Other documents on the bigleaf mahogany
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