Illegal and unsustainable rosewood logging is the major threat to Thailand’s limited remaining forests, particularly in the northeast regions. Unprecedented demand for luxury ‘Hongmu’, or ‘redwood’ furniture in China is driving this logging. While national controls on domestic rosewood harvesting and trade exist in Thailand and regionally, so far these have failed to control rampant illegal international trade. Thailand sought to protect rosewood through CITES in 2008, but opposition from range states Laos and Cambodia prevented any listing on CITES Appendices. China’s rosewood markets have since boomed, directly driving increases in illegal rosewood logging and smuggling in Thailand. Thailand urgently needs to demonstrate its intent to further protect rosewood and CITES presents the best and most immediate mechanism to do so.

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