ASSESSING HONDURAN ROSEWOOD POPULATIONS IN BELIZE

Although Honduran Rosewood is a valuable timber species, surprisingly little is known about its populations. Found only in Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico. the most important area for the species in southern Belize is under great pressure from agriculture. Working through FFI’s partner in Belize the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (YCT) and in collaboration with the Belizean Forest Department, the Global Trees Campaign is supporting surveys of forests in southern Belize to establish the status of Honduran Rosewood. This information will be used by the government to help plan sustainable management and utilisation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Honduran rosewood Dalbergia stevensonii is known only from Belize, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Its valuable rosewood timber is highly sought after for quality products including musical instruments, turnery and carving. Honduran rosewood is reportedly the best wood for marimba and xylophone keys and it has been suggested as an acceptable substitute in guitars for Brazilian rosewood D. nigra (international trade in which is now banned under CITES*).

Despite its significance as a high-value timber species, relatively little is known about the population and status of Honduran rosewood. There are causes for concern, however: the largest area in which it occurs is in southern Belize, an area that is reportedly inundated with colonists practising slash-and-burn agriculture. Nationally, Belize’s forests decreased at a rate of 2.3% between 1990-2000, the third highest deforestation rate in Central America.

FFI has been active in southern Belize since 1998, supporting the work of our partner organisation, the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (YCT). The Global Trees Campaign is supporting YCT to undertake, jointly with the Government of Belize’s Forest Department, a survey of Honduran Rosewood in private forests in southern Belize (the population in forest reserves is already known). Other endangered tree species such as mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), cedar (Cedrela odorata) and fiddlewood (Vitex gaumeri) that co-exist with Honduran rosewood are being counted at the same time.

The surveys were undertaken in May 2007. Over 800 transects were surveyed by teams involving people from local communities. Results showed that Honduran rosewood is doing rather better than was feared, with an average of five trees adult trees per hectare (with Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) 10 cm or above). Mahogany, however, was faring worse, with only 2.5 trees adult trees per hectare (DBH 10 cm or more). Young rosewood trees (DBH below 10 cm) were also present in reasonable numbers, with almost 7 seedlings per hectare, compared to just 0.7 seedlings per hectare for mahogany.

These results are being distributed and discussed with relevant national authorities and local communities, and used to help plan sustainable management and utilisation of the valuable forests in southern Belize (including through the Toledo Healthy Forest Initiative).

* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

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