Four pieces of good news and one piece of bad news for flora

Press release CITES CoP20 n°5

1 and 2. Red doussié (Afzelia bipindensis) and African padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
The proposals by Burundi, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo to downgrade their populations of doussié and African padauk from Appendix II were narrowly rejected. For African padauk, the proposal also covered the population of Angola.
28 African countries voted in favour of the proposal to downgrade doussie populations from Appendix II and 26 voted in favour of the proposal to downgrade padauk populations from Appendix II. They are supported by Türkiye, Russia, South Korea, Qatar, Kuwait and Japan, among others. In the end, the proposals by the 7 African countries were rejected thanks to the 27 countries of the European Union, the United States of America and a minority of African countries. Guinea-Bissau and Kenya voted against the proposal to downgrade doussie populations and Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Uganda and Sudan voted against the proposal to downgrade padauk populations.
The 2 species were “launched” on the international market in 1994 and 1995 through their prolific use in the Très Grande Bibliothèque (TGB, Very Large Library) in Paris, now known as the François-Mitterrand Library (parquet flooring, veneers, interior concrete cladding for doussié, false ceilings for padauk). Faced with market boom and the exploitation of similar species, doussié and padauk were listed in Appendix II at CoP19 in November 2022, with entry into force on February 23, 2023, However, the main range countries quickly requested their downgrading, arguing that the risks of confusion had now been clarified and that “Central African countries are implementing rigorous traceability mechanisms that make it possible to guarantee the origin and identity of the species in trade.” These claims must be taken with caution, given the political, social, tribal and religious tensions affecting many of the proposing countries, the corruption that plagues them all, and the influence of Chinese logging companies.

3. Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis)
Chile’s proposal to list the Chilean palm in Appendix I was accepted by consensus. The sap, which is used to make palm honey, and the fruit are used in the food industry and are increasingly exported to Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, Ireland and Hong Kong. In France, “these little delicacies are highly prized for their flavour, of course, but also for their rarity and exceptional nutritional value,” enthuses “L’Ile aux épices” (Spice Island), which sells them for 16 €/100 grams.
The seeds are in demand for the ornamental plant market. A bag of 2 seeds sells for around 13 US$ on the internet. The potential profits from illegal collection and worldwide export are therefore considerable, especially as this palm tree, which is endemic to Chile, is known to withstand to the coldest climates.

4. Elephant-foot tree (Beaucarnea glassiana and Beaucarnea hookeri)
The genus Beaucarnea has been listed in Appendix II since CoP17 (September-October 2016), with entry into force on January 2, 2017. The proposal by Mexico and Switzerland to add the species Beaucarnea glassiana and Beaucarnea hookeri to Appendix II was accepted by consensus. The main threats to the genus are habitat loss due to livestock grazing, conversion of land to agricultural crops, fires and seed theft for the international ornamental plant market. Plants of the genus Beaucarnea are subject to high-intensity international trade. Between 2016 and 2025, at least 25 million live specimens, 3,500 tonnes of seeds and 1.3 million seeds were exported.

Beaucarnea hookeri © Pedro Nájera Quezada