Representing the interests of
the wood and wood products industry
the wood and wood products industry
CITES
The ‘Washington’ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to protect certain plants and animals by regulating and monitoring their international trade to prevent it reaching unsustainable levels.
The UK Government strongly supports CITES as an essential instrument for helping to safeguard species, which are threatened by international trade. The Global Wildlife Division of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the UK CITES Management Authority.
CITES regulates international trade in over 30,000 species, of which approximately 25,000 are plants. These species are listed in three appendices.
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Appendix I includes species that may be threatened with extinction and which are or may be affected by international trade. International trade in wild specimens of these species is subject to strict regulation and is normally only permitted in exceptional circumstances.
Appendix II includes species not considered to be under the same threat as those in Appendix I, but which may become so if trade is not regulated. International trade in these species is monitored through a licensing system to ensure that trade can be sustained without detriment to wild populations. Examples include mahogany from Brazil.
Appendix III contains species that are not necessarily threatened on a global level, but that are protected within individual states where that state has sought the help of other CITES Parties to control international trade in that species.
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Click here to download the TTF Guide on CITES which includes details of the timber species listed on the Appendices.
When searching for a timber or timber product, the TTF website highlights if a timber species appears on a CITES Appendix.
Full information on CITES can be found at www.ukcites.gov.uk
