10 mins
CITES exempts musical instruments from rosewood permit system
Stockpiles of illegal rosewood in Madagascar
The 2019 CITES conference concluded with a significant clarification for musicians and musical instrument dealers and makers. The stipulation in Appendix II for rosewoods and related tree species has been amended so that finished products including up to a maximum of 10kg of the listed wood, and finished musical instruments, along with their parts and accessories, will no longer require a permit for export. The new exemptions go into effect on Tuesday 26 November.
However, this does not change the situation for Brazilian rosewood which is listed in Appendix I, designating the most protected species.
By value and volume, rosewoods comprise the world’s most illegally trafficked wild products, but CITES has generally accepted that musical instruments are not a substantial contributor to the trade, and that the administrative burden of certification for them outweighs any potential benefits.
The proposal also contains provision for the organisation to undertake a study to examine what the impact of the exemptions will be, with the potential for further changes to be made at the next conference in 2022.
Other resolutions of interest to anyone involved with musical instruments include one on ‘simplified procedures’ which undertakes to simplify the permit regime ‘for movement of CITES specimens where the trade will have a negligible impact on the conservation of the species concerned’. The hope is that this will streamline the Musical Instrument Certificate process for instruments and accessories containing materials from the most protected species in small quantities, such as ivory-tipped bows.
A proposal regarding mammoth ivory was not discussed, owing to CITES not covering extinct species. However, the conference did recommend that a study should be initiated into how the elephant ivory trade is affected by that of mammoth ivory, which may create a framework for it to be included in the next conference.
Existing exemptions for musical instruments include pernambuco bows that do not require certification (unless they include other regulated materials such as ivory or tortoiseshell).