§ Mr. Chris DaviesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the volume of Brazilian mahogany to be imported into the United Kingdom over the next 12 months. [2114]
§ Mr. DaviesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy with regard to the import of Brazilian mahogany into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [2115]
§ Mr. LangThe Government consider that it is generally better to promote a policy of sustainable forest management rather than to impose trade bans on imported timber. The convention on international trade in endangered species prohibits commercial trade in 800 animal and plant species and controls it in a further 25,000 cases. Current scientific evidence does not justify a complete ban on imports of Brazilian mahogany. However, at the last CITES conference in November 1994 the UK supported a proposal to add it to appendix II of the convention which would have subjected it to controls. Although this proposal was not agreed, a number of countries where the species occurs announced that they would list Brazilian mahogany in appendix III. Accordingly, with effect from 16 November 1995 those countries have had to issue CITES permits to confirm that export of Brazilian mahogany is not detrimental to the species; other countries where the species occurs have had to issue certificates to confirm that their exports have not originated in countries with the appendix III listing; and permits to import the species into the UK have been required.