Madagascar’s rosewood (Dalbergia spp.) stocks as a political challenge

Background. Malagasy rosewood (Dalbergia spp.) has attracted international attention for centuries due to the high quality and intense coloration of the wood. Rosewood was sourced from the time of the colonial era during the early 20^th century. Extraction continued after the country’s independence in 1960. The sourcing of rosewood—almost exclusively from protected areas— escalated to unprecedented levels during the 2000s, which coincided with the political crisis from 2009–2013. It continues unabated. Following pressure by the international community and spearheaded by the World Bank, the Malagasy government started to confiscate and stockpile the precious timber. In 2013, all 45 Malagasy rosewood species were uplifted to CITES Appendix II. In June 2018 the stockpiles were the subject of an internationally-attended workshop in Antananarivo, facilitated by the World Bank. Survey methods. The focus of this study is the period from 2009 to the present. Based on structured literature review and grey literature, we examine the forest governance context, analyse ongoing deforestation, and look at how traders continue to take advantage of ‘loopholes’ created by a combination of semantics and the lack of taxonomic knowledge about the target genera. Results. In this paper we provide an update surrounding the confiscated Malagasy rosewood stocks. With presidential elections scheduled for November and December 2018, we examine plans under way to sell off at least some of the stocks. Forest governance mechanisms are complicated and management is rendered all the more difficult by a lack of technical, human and financial resources. Deforestation remains unchecked, with 2017 levels having been the worst during the past decade. Since 1982, the trading of rosewood has spiked significantly prior to presidential elections. Additionally, corruption escalated during recent years. Conclusions. We argue that, in order to ensure increased transparency and reduce the risk of corruption, the best option to deal with the rosewood stocks, is to hold off on any plans to sell the stocks until such time that uplifting the status of CITES- listed species to Appendix I, has been achieved so as to ensure that the proper mechanisms are put in place to handle the stocks.