CITES is planning to strictly control several popular African timbers, and Sapele, Obeche, etc. may face trade restrictions!

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CITES is planning to include several popular African timbers on its control list, which has drawn high attention from the industry. As the major importer, the Chinese market may face rising costs and supply shortages. 

01. Core of the proposal: Multiple commercial tree species are targeted

- The tree species proposed to be included in the convention include Azobé and four species of Entandrophragma, namely Sipo (African Padauk), Sapelli, Tiama (Angolan African Padauk), and Kosipo (False Sapelli).

Ayous and Okoumé are also on the assessment list. 

02. Industry Focus: Practitioners Worry about Facing "No Food to Cook"

The related progress has drawn widespread attention from the industry, and pessimism has spread among insiders. 

It is learned that several major practitioners strongly object to the mandatory requirement of systematic artificial afforestation for tree species such as Okoume and Ayous. The practitioners claim that based on field observations, these tree species generally have strong natural regeneration capabilities and their population recovery trends are good. 

Similar arguments have been put forward for Pterocarpus angolensis, while acknowledging that its regeneration rate is longer than that of Afzelia. However, they stress that sustainably managed forests provide conditions for natural regeneration, and in most cases, artificial replanting is neither economically viable nor necessary. The industry generally believes that given the already difficult situation of African species in the European market due to issues such as traceability compliance, the prospect of expanding the species covered by the Convention is seen as a major threat to production, trade, and investment. Moreover, the potential impact of increasingly tightened import controls and environmental regulations on local employment, rural livelihoods, and the national economy has not been fully assessed. If more African tree species are included in the strict CITES control framework, some niche sectors may face business scale contraction, or even market clearance. 

03. Impact on the Chinese market: Increased import costs

For the Chinese market, as the main importer of African timber, this potential upgrade in regulation may further intensify the current situation of "decreasing volume and increasing price" in imports.

Okoume, as the absolute main variety of African timber imported by China, if officially listed in the CITES appendix, will directly increase the cost system of Chinese plywood manufacturers and furniture enterprises.

Similarly, species such as red ironwood, sapele, and ayous are widely used in domestic solid wood furniture and wood products. Once they are included in the control list, importers will be forced to turn to compliant channels with complete traceability documents, and the procurement costs are expected to far exceed the impact of the previous increase in wood export tax rates in some African countries. 

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