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Doctors
Juan Carlos Vasquez
Milena Schmidt
CITES Secretariat
Lima .-
Taking advantage of its presence in Peru as representatives of the CITES Secretariat, on an assessment mission of advancing the implementation of commitments made by the Peruvian State to the Convention mandated by the 58th Standing Committee meeting (July 2009), institutions and citizens down signatories, we are writing to you in order to convey the conclusions of the meeting held on the 28th of this month to discuss the situation of illegal logging in Peru, and especially the status of implementation of commitments made by the country before CITES the species Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata.
We the undersigned express deep disappointment generated by the non-implementation of CITES timber species in Peru, illustrated by the fact of the existence of mahogany and cedar wood controversial origin has been exported under CITES permits with the consent of CITES Scientific Authority.
As a result, the Protected Natural Areas and indigenous territories have been violated through an institutionalized system of corruption and intimidation whose networks permeate the spheres of public and private sectors in order to maintain high profit margins flowing unlawful which has enriched a few.
In the last decade, the CITES system has not recognized the seriousness of the situation repeatedly reported and evidenced in reports of the Civil Society Organizations and the CITES Secretariat. Unfortunately, forums decisive as the Plants Committee have disregarded the various complaints, undermining the potential reformer of the CITES to withdraw Peru Significant Trade Process.
In this sense, the spirit of CITES has been routinely flouted in order to maintain a structure and modus operandi designed and driven by economic and power sectors who resort to corruption and intimidation to appropriate forest resources and the workforce in the most needy in the Amazon.
In the last decade, administration after administration, some with better intentions than others, have provided solutions and processes that in theory respond to the State's responsibility to CITES, but whose repeated failure to further delegitimize the effectiveness and credibility of the Convention. Among these breaches may include:
• The uncertainty regarding the technical determination of the factors of income from commercial timber,
· The failure to implement the Plan of Action of Mahogany,
· Breach of international commitments to verify the existence of standing trees before allowing logging volumes, as well as
• The inclusion of balances from previous years in the annual quotas mahogany
Here are some examples that illustrate the failure of CITES to timber in Peru.
For the foregoing reasons, the Civil Society Organizations and representatives of the Indigenous Peoples of Peru undersigned, ask the CITES Secretariat to refer to the Standing Committee of the Convention the following orders:
1. Reintegrate Peru into the Significant Trade Process
2. Ask the Plants Committee the technical support for the exclusion of Peru Significant Trade Process
3. Request the CITES Scientific Authority in Peru in the Report field verification of all forest concessions and other use rights granted for the determination of the conservation status of the species Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata, and the mechanisms used to ensure the accuracy of the information
4. Ensure adherence to the recommendations of the audit of compliance with CITES in Peru for the species Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata,
5. Recognizing the plight population of the species Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata due to logging and illegal trade in Peru, so that, in the case of Swietenia macrophylla, is recognized as Endangered Species Trade in Peru.
Additionally, we request the Secretariat to include this notice in the Official Report of the Mission visit to Peru. We also reiterate our commitment to CITES and commitment to continue working to ensure that the objectives of the Convention to become an effective tool for conservation and sustainable management of Amazonian forests.
Ecological Forum
TRAFFIC South America
AIDESEP
Round River Foundation
SPDE
Loretana Environmental Network
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