Breathe a sigh of relief in the instrument trade
The feared serious registration obligations for pernambuco wood, which would have affected the trade and transportation of many instrument bows, are off the table for the time being.
At the CITES Conference CoP19, which ended on November 25, 2022 in Panama, it was decided, according to the German Music Council, that pernambuco wood will remain in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This means that the feared serious registration obligations for pernambuco wood, which would have affected the trade and transportation of many instrument bows, are off the table for the time being. Only the first export of pernambuco wood from Brazil now requires a permit.
According to Christian Höppner, Secretary General of the German Music Council, the decision not to transfer pernambuco wood to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora means that traveling and trading with bows made from pernambuco wood will continue to be relatively barrier-free for musical life. This is just as important for international musical life as it is for the traditional craft of bow making, which is particularly deeply rooted in Germany.
