On Thursday, 22 September, the European Commission held a second stakeholder consultation meeting to prepare the next CITES conference of the parties (CoP19) to be organised in Panama in November. Pearle took part in the meeting and together with FIM presented a statement. Pearle* also supported a statement presented by the bow- and instrument makers’ community.

The international music sector joins forces to take action on a Brazilian proposal to list Pernambuco in CITES Annex I, which represents the highest level of protection. Pernambuco, is commonly used for the making of bows. According to a Pearle* survey among European orchestras, 90-100% of string instrument players use bows made off Pernambuco.

The proposed Annex I listing would not only create huge damages to the bow making industry as they can't use new wood stocks anymore but also complicate and increase costs for orchestras touring internationally, as nearly all string instrument players would then need a musical instrument certificate (MIC) for their bow.  

European bow and instrument makers are engaged in sustainable projects on Pernambuco tree plantations which involves the planting of thousands of trees each year. The industry needs 10 trees for making 10,000 bows.