TRAFFIC TIMBER ISLAND REPORT The Rosewood and Ebony Trade of Madagascar NOVEMBER 2016 Cynthia Ratsimbazafy, David J. Newton and Stéphane Ringuet TRAFFIC REPORT TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is the leading non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance of WWF and IUCN. Reproduction of material appearing in this report requires written permission from the publisher. The designations of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views of the authors expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessary reflect those of TRAFFIC, WWF or IUCN. Published by TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa Regional Office c/o IUCN ESARO Hatfield Gables, 484 Hilda Street Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028 © 2016 TRAFFIC. Copyright of material published in this report is vested in TRAFFIC ISBN: 978-1-85850-412-4 UK Registered Charity No. 1076722 Suggested citation: Ratsimbazafy, C., Newton, D. and Ringuet, S. (2016). Timber Island: The Rosewood and Ebony Trade of Madagascar. TRAFFIC. Cambridge, UK. Front cover photograph and credit: Dalbergia madagascariensis tree in Masoala National Park. © Julien Noel Rakotoarisoa / MEEF This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents and the views of the authors expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Printed by Jetline TIMBER ISLAND: Rosewood and Ebony Trade of Madagascar Cynthia Ratsimbazafy1, David J. Newton1,2 and Stéphane Ringuet3 1TRAFFIC 2 University of Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences 3 WWF France © JULIEN NOEL RAKOTOARISOA / MEEF Dalbergia madagascariensis tree in Masoala National Park. insert image or leave blank 2015© FLORENT TOTO COALITION LAMPOGNO MAMABAY Hidden stock of rosewood at Ambanizana-Maroantsetra This project has benefited from financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of sustainable development approaches in priority ecosystems (SCAPES) and through a programme entitled “Preserving Madagascar’s Natural Resources” implemented by a consortium of organizations including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), TRAFFIC, Conservation International (CI) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). ii TRAFFIC Report: Timber Island - The rosewood and ebony trade of Madagascar TABLE OF CONTENTS _________________________________________________ LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ..............................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF MAPS ...................................................................................................................................................vii PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ix ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. xiii 1. INTRODUCTION and BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................1 2. METHODS........................................................................................................................................................7 3. RESULTS .........................................................................................................................................................16 3.1. Biological characteristics of Dalbergia and Diospyros species. ...........................................................16 3.1.1. Summary of existing studies ..............................................................................................................16 3.1.2 Role of the species in nature ..............................................................................................................16 3.1.3 Life form characterisitics ....................................................................................................................17 3.1.4. Regeneration potential ......................................................................................................................19 3.1.5. Species distribution and density ......................................................................................................21 3.2. National status of species. .......................................................................................................................22 3.2.1. Habitat and national distribution ....................................................................................................22 3.2.2. Abundance of species at the national level .....................................................................................22 3.2.3. Population trend of species at national level and principal threats .............................................23 3.3. Illegal logging and trade at the national level .......................................................................................25 3.3.1. Scale of logging and associated illegal or unmanaged trade ........................................................25 3.3.2. National precious timber trade ........................................................................................................35 3.3.3. Export of precious timber .................................................................................................................40 3.3.4. Management of precious timber stocks (rosewood and ebony) ..................................................50 3.3.5. Stakeholders involved in logging and illegal trade in Madagascar ..............................................53 3.3.6 Factors underlying illegal harvest and related trade .......................................................................59 3.3.7 Ecological impact of the illegal logging of precious timber ..........................................................61 3.3.8 Socioeconomic impacts of illegal trade of precious timber: rosewood and ebony ....................62 TRAFFIC Report: Timber Island - The rosewood and ebony trade of Madagascar iii 3.4. Legal framework for precious woods ....................................................................................................67 3.4.1. The hierarchy of legislation in Madagascar ....................................................................................67 3.4.2. Regulation and policy on timber harvest .......................................................................................68 3.4.3. Specific regulations pertaining to rosewood and ebony ...............................................................69 3.4.4. The CITES listing of Dalbergia species and the loophole on palisander at a national level .....69 3.5. Implementation of the legal framework ................................................................................................72 3.5.1. Protection against harvesting ...........................................................................................................72 3.5.2. Harvesting in areas with strong resource tenure or ownership and in protected areas: ...........73 3.5.3. Harvest Monitoring ...........................................................................................................................73 3.5.4 Stakeholders involved in the management of Madagascar’s precious timber .............................73 3.5.5 Progress of the CITES Action plan implementation ......................................................................77 3.5.6. Penalization of offences related to rosewood and ebony ..............................................................80 4. DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................84 4.1. Information on timber standing stocks: partial for some species and non-existent for others .....84 4.2. Information on illegal logging and related trade is limited, and no information on logging is available at the species level ...................................................................................................................85 4.3. Lack of transparency in the management of seized stockpiles ...........................................................88 4.4. A management system ineffective to ensure sustainable harvest and trade .....................................88 4.5. Inadequate resources to cope: example of Masoala National Park ....................................................89