New CITES requirements for Rosewood export/import

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toddnmd

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I'm curious about how the new regulations for international trade of rosewood are going to affect us here in the knife community. CITES is the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. Brazilian Rosewood was/is highly endangered and highly protected. However, the new regulations (which went into effect in January, 2017) put ALL species of rosewood on Appendix II, meaning that a certificate is necessary for export and import.

There seem to be a fair number of rosewood handles out there, and I was wondering if makers are going to reduce or stop using rosewood because of the extra trouble and cost of getting a certificate. There may be issues buying and selling knives with rosewood as well.

Here's an article that gives some background and details (it's focused on guitars, but many parts are relevant to knife handles as well).
https://www.avalonguitars.com/news/2017/02/What-You-Need-To-Know-About-The-New-CITES-Regulations
 
I'd be careful about relying on a third party article. Best to go to the source and interpret yourself as I did (I have an HRB handle that'll be coming from the USA to Canada):

aboynamedsuita said:
I just did some follow-up research rather than rely solely on the third party website, and I think HRB will be okay.

According to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Convention text, there are three appendices (I, II, III) which classify according to various risk levels.
https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/disc/CITES-Convention-EN.pdf

Appendices I & II were amended in late 2016 at the "Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties", and Dalbergia spp. (rosewoods, I think but am not 100% sure about the binomial nomenclature) were included in appendix II (except for species included in Appendix I)
https://cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/E-Notif-2016-063.pdf

The consolidated appendices can be viewed here
https://cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/E-Notif-2016-068-A.pdf

Annotation #15 which applies to Dalbergia spp. in appendix II indicates:
#15 All parts and derivatives are included, except:
a) Leaves, flowers, pollen, fruits, and seeds;
b) Non-commercial exports of a maximum total weight of 10 kg. per shipment;
c) Parts and derivatives of Dalbergia cochinchinensis, which are covered by Annotation # 4;
d) Parts and derivatives of Dalbergia spp. originating and exported from Mexico, which are covered by Annotation # 6.
Click to expand...


So if I am correct, some of these regulated woods would be okay in the quantities seen in knife handles, with the appendix I Dalbergia Nigra (Brazilian rosewood) being an exception.

I didn't look up all the woods to see if they have annotation #15, but checked Dalbergia spp. specifically Honduran rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii) since I have to deal with it. That said I may play it safe and use another wood instead.
Click to expand...

Links to previous thread:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/32025-Cites-quot-blanket-quot-regulations-from-2017
 
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Also from an individual knife standpoint, it would often be declared to customs as "Kitchen knife" (at least the many times I've imported/exported) and not "___steel chef knife with ___wood handle and brass bolster", as an example.
 
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