CITES-Authorized Trade in DRC Timber Continues at Unsustainable Levels

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and partners criticizing the CITES permit system for failing to prevent the illegal export of Afrormosia timber from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), noting that 2015 export quotas remain high despite insufficient inventory data and widespread reports of falsified permits.

• The 2015 export quota for Afrormosia from the Democratic Republic of Congo was increased to 23,240 m3, a figure nearly identical to the 25,000 m3 quotas set for 2012-2014, despite inventories being completed for only 9 of the 23 total logging titles.
• The CITES Secretariat notified parties in April 2014 regarding a significant volume of fake or falsified permits issued by the Democratic Republic of Congo, including a list of permits that were unaccounted for.
• The CITES Secretariat's verification process for permits only confirms if the document was issued by the DRC Management Authority and does not verify the actual legality of the timber, as the Secretariat claims this is outside its mandate.
• Reports from external monitors and the Independent Monitoring of Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (IM-FLEG) indicate that the six companies authorized to export Afrormosia from the DRC have engaged in illegal logging, and that the government is failing to enforce its own laws in province Orientale.

APA

admin (2015). CITES-Authorized Trade in DRC Timber Continues at Unsustainable Levels. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/cites-authorized-trade-in-drc-timber-continues-at-unsustainable-levels/

Chicago

admin. CITES-Authorized Trade in DRC Timber Continues at Unsustainable Levels. Center for International Environmental Law, 2015. https://www.ciel.org/cites-authorized-trade-in-drc-timber-continues-at-unsustainable-levels/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=CITES-Authorized Trade in DRC Timber Continues at Unsustainable Levels |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=24 February 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/cites-authorized-trade-in-drc-timber-continues-at-unsustainable-levels/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2015citesauthorized, author = {admin}, title = {{CITES-Authorized Trade in DRC Timber Continues at Unsustainable Levels}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/cites-authorized-trade-in-drc-timber-continues-at-unsustainable-levels/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }