§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 3 December,Official Report, column 317, what assessment he has made of the research carried out by the world conservation monitoring centre for the International Tropical Timber Organisation on the conservation status of African and Asian tropical timber species threatened by trade; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanWe expect to assess all relevant scientific information on tropical timber later this year, when deciding whether to propose further species for listing in the appendices to the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES). Our proposal at the last CITES conference to listPericopsis elata in appendix II was based on a report undertaken for the European 869W Commission by the world conservation monitoring centre. It is the first significantly traded tropical timber species to be listed in this appendix.