Paris/Brussels, 30 November 2022

On 25 November 2022, CITES Conference of the Parties in Panama (CoP19) agreed[1]  to keep Pernambuco (Pau Brasil) in CITES Appendix II listing, including a revised annotation #10. This decision is a relief for the entire music sector, which had worked tirelessly for several months to convince CITES Parties that the conservation of Pernambuco could be addressed efficiently without a listing in Annex I – as initially proposed by Brazil.

Bow makers, luthiers, musicians, orchestras and music ensembles worldwide strongly welcome the outcome of the discussions and wish to thank Brazil for its understanding and CITES Parties for their efforts to build consensus on this sensitive matter.  It has been noted that the adopted text includes an action plan to prepare a sustainable future for this emblematic Brazilian species, which is of critical importance for the music sector.

This success is the result of close and fruitful cooperation between our organisations (CAFIM, CSFI, FIM, Pearle*) and NAMM, the League of American Orchestras, IPCI and EILA.

We would also like to thank the European Commission’s Directorate General Environment and national CITES authorities for their support on this matter and their commitment to ensuring proper implementation of the agreed set of actions over the coming years.

[1] https://cites.org/sites/default/files/documents/E-CoP19-Com-I-06.pdf

Read the full press release of CAFIM, CSFI, FIM and Pearle*