This species is the most commercially important of the mahoganies. The level of exploitation has led to the exhaustion of supplies particularly in the northern parts of its range. Regeneration of the species is stochastic, depending in nature on large-scale disturbance. This ecological strategy makes mahogany vulnerable to logging regimes. Harvesting and processing are generally only 50 percent efficient. There is, at present, little economic incentive to manage natural stands sustainably.
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Swietenia macrophylla
Common Name(s)
Big Leaf Mahogany
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
The study site is a 4100-ha forest industry-owned management area called Marajoara, located at 7°50′S, 50°16′W in the southeast corner of the state of Para
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Details of assessment carried out
These results indicate that current harvest regulations in Brazil for mahogany and other high-value timber species with similar life histories will lead to commercial depletion after 2–3 cutting cycles. . Current legal harvest prac- tices for these species are likewise unsustainable and must be revised to account for species biology
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded