Policies on Rosewood in China

The rapid development of China’s rosewood industry has had a detrimental effect on global rosewood populations. This has in turn been exacerbated by a lack of general planning for the sustainability of the rosewood industry, including by government bodies, a low level of concern for traceability and legality across the supply chain, and challenges in government enforcement against illegal rosewood exports and imports.

China’s current laws and regulations are very broad, making them difficult for law enforcement agencies to implement. Similar issues also apply to current industry standards and quality norms which guide the rosewood industry and provide technical guidance to enforcement agencies and consumers. Moreover, current relevant standards do not cover the whole supply chain which means product traceability cannot extend to and prove the legal source, especially from range countries.

To address these issues, this report provides the following recommendations for a range of key stakeholders in relation to ensuring the sustainable harvesting, trade, administration and utilisation of rosewood, with an emphasis on China as the global rosewood manufacturing and consumption centre.

• Directed to government agencies
• Directed to companies operating in China’s rosewood industry
• Directed to civil society for responsible rosewood consumption
• Directed to intergovernmental organisations

Download report for full recommendations