More than 100 plant experts from all over the world have gathered at the 22nd meeting of the CITES Plants Committee in Tbilisi, Georgia from 19 to 23 October 2015.

The Plants Committee reviewed the conservation status of and trade in a wide range of CITES-listed wild plants that are harvested for trade and used in a large variety of products. They include high-value timbers such as African teak, rosewood, palisander, African sandalwood and ebonies; valuable non-timber forest products such as African cherry and agarwood, as well as orchids, medicinal plants and ornamental ones such as cacti.

The Committee developed guidance for sustainably harvesting perennial plants and tree species, identified ways to strengthen the capacity of the CITES authorities in managing and monitoring trade in plants. The identification of CITES-listed timbers was furthermore addressed.

The Committee agreed on improvements to the important CITES Review of Significant Trade process, which verifies levels of global commercial trade in CITES-listed species, and identifies instances where trade may jeopardise the conservation status of CITES-listed animals or plants. In these cases, the Review results in recommendations for actions to exporting Parties to address over-exploitation and unsustainable use.

“The Committee is increasingly concerned with high-value timber species, as is evident from the conclusion of this meeting, reflecting the increasing use being made of CITES to support sustainable forest management” said CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon following the meeting.

For more information please contact Liu Yuan yuan.liu@cites.org