GOH PREPARATION FOR CITES II LISTING OF BIGLEAF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000753

SIPDIS

SECSTATE please pass USAID for CJohnson
STATE FOR OES/ETC Eskewes and FWS/DMA PThomas

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ETRD ECON HO
SUBJECT: GOH PREPARATION FOR CITES II LISTING OF BIGLEAF
MAHOGANY

REF: SECSTATE 16166


1. (U) Summary. The scientific authority in Honduras, made
up of both governmental and private entities, is preparing
for the Appendix II listing of Bigleaf Mahogany to the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES). While Honduras does have some administrative and
legal structure already in place, it lacks the additional
technical training and funding to make their counter
trafficking efforts and overall forestry management efforts
fully successful. Issues Honduras would like raised at the
next Mahogany Working Group include certification,
financing, information exchange, management issues and
attracting private investment for plantations. End Summary.


2. (U) The scientific authority in Honduras, comprised of
the Panamerican Agricultural School, the National Forestry
Science School, the National Autonomous University of
Honduras, and the National Forestry Department (COHDEFOR)
meets monthly to discuss and give technical and scientific
opinions on use of and exportation of CITES species. In
previous administrations, the meetings were strictly run by
the Honduran National Forestry Department, COHDEFOR. The
Office of Biodiversity in the Ministry of Natural Resources,
SERNA, is currently the leading scientific authority for the
group.


3. (U) COHDEFOR is responsible for management of national
forests, the land from which the largest portion of mahogany
is harvested and exported. COHDEFOR sells the wood by board-
feet to agro-forestry groups and private businesses. Agro-
forestry groups and private businesses do the actual
industrial transformation; both internal commercialization
and export of industrialized products.


4. (U) COHDEFOR has provided the following answers to
specific questions raised in paragraph 4 of Secstate 16166:

a) What is the host country outlook for implementing the
Apendix II listing?

The AFE-COHDEFOR is creating a special action plan in order
to implement the requirements for the commerce of mahogany
in accordance with the proposed Apendix II listing in CITES
for bigleaf mahogany. This process includes:

-- Revision of the technical, regulatory and administrative
norms and control mechanisms in the management plan.
-- Training in a wide range of related subjects.
-- Methods of control over illegal cutting in the forests
and roadways, coordinated with the district attorney's
office for environmental affairs, the Attorney General's
office of environmental affairs, municipalities, organized
civil society, the National Police, and the army.
Additionally there is a need for controls in industrial
centers.
-- Measures to achieve a certification of forestry
management.
-- Continue the implementation of the certification program
for forestry plantations.
-- Intensify the efforts of mahogany plantations and other
valuable species on national lands, community lands and
private lands.

Measures for the filing, collection and processing of
documents required by CITES is more problematic.

The GOH has encountered serious difficulties in the
verification of the place of origin for mahogany, when
applications for exportation of furniture and "transformed
or semi-transformed" wood are presented.

There are no means or mechanisms in place for export control
(beside the fact that exports of mahogany are authorized,
Honduras does not appear on the list of exporters of this
species.)

Due to the aforementioned and other situations, the
feasibility of implementation of methods of control for the
trafficking and sale of mahogany is low without the
strengthening of the issues pointed out in the following
responses listed below in numbers 3, 4 and 5.

b) Will implementation fit into an existing system for
sustainable management of forests and monitoring of trade?

The implementation of CITES requirements falls under the
current system for sustainable management in accordance with
criteria and indicators already established.

c) In what areas will the government need to build new
capacity in order to implement the listing? Do they appear
to have the resources (financial, technical) and legislative
framework to do so?

The Government of Honduras needs to strengthen the
systematic examination of biological information about the
wild populations and/or plantations of the species. This
can be improved through the strengthening of the
institutions that make up the scientific authority.

Honduras also needs to improve public awareness and
promotion of the certification of wood (environmental and
social) as well as strengthen the mechanisms of
administration of the Management Plan and control of illegal
trafficking.

The GOH and the scientific authority realize they need to
develop a specific educational plan for:

- Public defenders, attorney general's offices
- Technical advisors working on Forestry Management
- Customs Officials
- National Police Officials
- Organized Agro-Forestry groups
- Private Companies: Forest owners, lumberjacks, wood
processors / finishers, exporters
- Administrative authorities

A national norm pertaining to the implementation of CITES
(i.e. adaptation of the existing technical norms agreed to
in the CITES) needs to be created.

The legal instruments at the national level for the
implementation of CITES is the CITES convention itself which
Honduras has ratified. Honduras also has forestry and
environmental laws which provide institutions with clear
legal mandates for the implementation of CITES.

The technical capacity for the implementation of CITES
exists both within and outside of Government agencies, but
it requires up-to-date training. There is a lack of
technical training of the management and use of plantations
and natural forests for peasant groups involved in the
exploitation of colored wood (such as mahogany) and the
industrial or institutional technicians who act in
compliance with scientific and administrative authorities.

There is a lack of financial resources to carry out studies
of wild populations (inventories, distribution, etc.) There
need to be more public awareness campaigns at a national
level.

d) What specific issues would the host government like to
see addressed at the meeting of the Mahogany Working Group?

Themes the GOH would like to discuss in the Mahogany working
group are:

-- Certification of forestry management and forestry
products

-- Financing for certain aspects of trafficking control,
such as identification guides for CITES species of wood (for
customs officials).

-- Exchange of experiences and information between countries
who have common interests (countries that share natural
distribution of mahogany)

-- Management and protection projects for natural forests.

-- Programs for the attraction of private investment for
plantations

PALMER