This scoping paper analyzes the governance of trade in timber-producing species regulated by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in light of the Convention’s increasing relevance as a tool to control transnational timber trade. The CITES regulatory framework is outlined as it relates to tree species, along with the compliance mechanisms developed to build range state capacity for implementing trade controls in relation to tropical timber species and to apply sanctions to countries that fail to take recommended action to resolve implementation problems. The study describes stricter domestic measures developed by consumer countries, most notably the EU, to control imports of CITES-listed species, including trees, as well as additional regulatory frameworks designed by importing countries to exclude illegal timber from their markets. It also examines the implications for CITES of regional economic integration given the Convention’s dependence on national border controls, with a focus on experience in the EU and trends in Asia. Key findings from three case studies of how CITES has approached governance of trade in valuable timber-producing species – ramin (Gonystylus spp.) from Asia, afrormosia (Pericopsis elata) from Central and West Africa and bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) from Latin America – are presented and other potential case studies identified. The study concludes by identifying priority areas where further research could contribute towards catalyzing positive change to strengthen the governance of transnational timber trade, and ultimately towards the survival of tree species traded illegally and unsustainably.

Saving endangered species presents a critical and increasingly pressing challenge for conservation and sustainability movements, and is also matter of survival and livelihoods for the world's poorest and vulnerable communities. In 1973, a global Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was adopted to stem the extinction of many species. In 2015, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 15) the United Nations called for urgent action to protect endangered species and their natural habitats. This volume focuses on the legal implementation of CITES to achieve the global SDGs. Activating interdisciplinary analysis and case studies across jurisdictions, the contributors analyse the potential for CITES to promote more sustainable development, proposing international and national regulatory innovations for implementing CITES. They consider recent innovations and key intervention points along flora and fauna value chains, advancing coherent recommendations to strengthen CITES implementation, including through the regulation of trade in endangered species globally and locally.

Research Handbook on International Law and Natural Resources provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the role of international law in regulating the exploration and exploitation of natural resources. It illuminates interactions and tensions between international environmental law, human rights law and international economic law. It also discusses the relevance of soft law, international dispute settlement, as well as of various unilateral, bilateral, regional and transnational initiatives in the governance of natural resources. While the Handbook is accessible to those approaching the subject for the first time, it identifies pressing areas for further investigation that will be of interest to advanced researchers.

Despite covering almost a third of the globe, forests do not enjoy the protection of a singular global legal convention. Instead, International Forest Law is a complex ecosystem in its own right. This book sets out to examine this complexity by analyzing forest-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and how the decisions of the various corresponding Conferences of the Parties (COPs) may promote regime interaction in this field of law. Through an in-depth analysis of more than 60 decisions and resolutions of such COPs, Yilly Pacheco discusses how secondary law-making activity in forest-related MEAs may be strengthened and used to fill the gaps in International Forest Law.

This guide covers the main timber species regulatedby the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species (CITES). It provides informationon the key issues regarding the implementation ofthe Convention for this important group of plants.Written for the non-expert, individual sections coverthe species found in signifi cant trade, with details ontheir distribution, uses, traded parts and derivatives,and scientific c and common names.Additional sections cover timber identification andmeasurement, guidance on CITES documentationand key resources.

Crimes associated with the illegal trade in wildlife, timber and fish stocks, pollutants and waste have become increasingly transnational, organized and serious. They warrant attention because of their environmental consequences, their human toll, their impacts on the rule of law and good governance, and their links with violence, corruption and a range of crossover crimes. This ground-breaking, multi-disciplinary Handbook brings together leading scholars and practitioners to examine key sectors in transnational environmental crime and to explore its most significant conceptual, operational and enforcement challenges.

Reference tool to facilitate broader understanding and awareness of relationship between environment and trade which can then become the basis on which fair and environmentally sustainable policies and trade flows are built.

This book responds to the call for more research on transnational environmental crime and its governance by investigating the illegal trade in electronic waste (e-waste) and tropical timber, major forms of transnational environmental crime. The book is based on a qualitative multi-method research combining document analysis, interviews with key informants and field visits. Bisschop focuses on the flows that pass through the research setting of the Port of Antwerp (Belgium) and those between Europe and West and Central Africa. The study examines the emergence and social organization of these transnational environmental flows, illustrating that although profit or lure play a very important role, a range of factors on individual, organizational and societal levels together provide the motivations and opportunities. Building on these insights, the book addresses the governance of these two cases. The responsive regulatory pyramid and networked governance are used as theoretical frameworks for this analysis. This book is essential reading for scholars and academics interested in transnational environmental crime and corporate crime, as well as governance studies.

The purpose of the roadmap is to delineate and inform the process by which decision makers and actors can evaluate the status, diversity and trends of primary forests in the region, identify priority areas for primary forest conservation, assess the threats they face, and explore possible ways to address them. This report suggests a practical process in four steps, through which the recommendations can be articulated at different scales (from regional to local) and adapted to the specific context, priorities and needs of various forest types, countries and categories of actors.