ACTION
ALERT
***********************************************
WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Mahogany
Needs Protection
***********************************************
Forest
Networking a Project of forests.org
http://forests.org/ -- Forest
Conservation Archives
http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest
Conservation
11/3/99
OVERVIEW
& COMMENTARY
The
logging of scattered populations of Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla)
is frequently the catalyst for widespread and severe
forest
degradation, if not outright deforestation.
It is critical
that
this keystone species be given the protection its endangered
status
warrants. Doing so will contribute to
habitat protection in
vast
areas of New World rainforest. Please take
the time to respond
to this
excellent action alert from the Center for International
Environmental
Law.
g.b.
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RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: ACTION ALERT: MAHOGANY NEEDS PROTECTION
Source: Center for International Environmental Law
(CIEL)
Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036-1860
Tel:
(202) 785-8700 x26
Fax:
(202) 785-8701
E-mail: BassMS@aol.com
Web:
www.econet.apc.org/ciel/
Status: Distribute freely with credit given to
source
Date: 11/3/99
We need
your help in convincing the US Government to protect mahogany
and to
support more sustainable use of tropical forests in Central
and
South America. From November 6-12, 1999,
the US Government will
decide
whether or not to propose big-leaf mahogany for an Appendix II
listing
under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species
(CITES). This is the treaty which is
currently being used to
protect
African elephants, sea turtles, orchids, and many
other
species that are negatively impacted by international trade.
Big-leaf
mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is increasingly threatened
by
logging and habitat loss. Loggers are
overharvesting populations
in the
tropical forests of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Nicaragua,
Guatemala,
Belize, and Mexico. Many logging
operations are
harvesting
the species unsustainably from old-growth forests. Up to
half of
the mahogany that is logged is taken illegally from parks,
reserves,
and indigenous areas.
Brazil
is the largest exporter of mahogany.
Populations in Colombia,
Costa
Rica, Panama, and Ecuador have already been drastically
reduced,
are too small too harvest commercially, and may be
threatened
with extinction.
Mahogany
logging is one of the leading catalysts for tropical
deforestation. Logging companies are building thousands of
roads to
reach
mahogany's scattered wild populations.
These roads often
result
in deforestation because farmers use them to access remote
areas
and then clear forests for ranching and agriculture.
At
least half of the mahogany harvested is exported, and the United
States
imports eight times more mahogany than any other known
importing
country in the world. The wood is used
for items such as
high-end
furniture, door and window frames, beams, musical
instruments,
decorative woodwork, and coffins.
If the
species is listed in Appendix II of CITES, logging companies
will
have to change the way they harvest the species. They will have
to
demonstrate to governments that the mahogany wood they export is
obtained
in a sustainable manner and is legally obtained. This
should
better protect the species, and encourage sustainable use of
tropical
forests.
WHAT
YOU CAN DO
Because
time is so short, we are asking folks to go directly to the
top. Please call, e-mail or fax both President
Clinton and Secretary
of the
Interior Bruce Babbitt and tell them that you support an
Appendix
II listing for big-leaf mahogany. The
logging industry has
lobbied
the US Government extensively to oppose an Appendix II
listing,
so your phone calls or letters supporting an Appendix II
listing
are especially important.
If you
have any questions or would like more information, please
contact
the Center for International Environmental Law at (202) 785-
8700 or
Defenders of Wildlife at (202) 682-9400.
President
Clinton:
Phone:
(202) 456-1414
Fax:
(202) 456-2461
e-mail:
president@whitehouse.gov (Your letter
should include your
name,
address, and Zip Code.)
Secretary
of the Interior Bruce Babbitt: Phone: (202) 208-7351
Fax
number. (202) 208-6950. e-mail:
bruce_babbitt@ios.doi.gov (Your
letter
should include your name, address, and Zip Code.)
SAMPLE
PHONE CALL:
"I
am calling to urge the United States Government to propose big-
leaf
mahogany this month for an Appendix II listing in the Convention
on
International Trade in Endangered Species.
The species needs to
be managed
more sustainably, illegal logging needs to be reduced, and
we need
to slow down tropical deforestation."
SAMPLE
LETTER
Dear
President Clinton/Secretary Babbitt,
The
United States should propose big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla)
by November 12, 1999, for an Appendix II listing in the
Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
I
support an Appendix II listing for big-leaf mahogany because
logging
companies are not harvesting the species in a sustainable
way,
and illegal logging of mahogany is so widespread. Mahogany
logging
is also one of the key catalysts for tropical deforestation,
and
needs to be addressed now before we lose the many species that
are
native to tropical lowland forests.
Because
the United States is the largest importer of mahogany in the
world,
I think that our Government should take responsibility for
promoting
legal, sustainable use of the species.
As we are consumers
in an
increasingly global marketplace, we need to ensure the
protection
of species that are threatened by international trade.
Sincerely,
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TEXT ENDS###
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