New controls on mahogany trade

New restrictions to try to protect rapidly disappearing mahogany forests by regulating trade in the €86.8m a year business will enter into force this week, a UN environment body said today.

The controls, adopted by countries that have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), will require all shipments of big-leaf mahogany to be accompanied by a CITES export permit.