CITES Archives

How Does CITES Regulate the Agarwood Trade

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES were first formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With hindsight, the need [...]

Brisk Business for Agarwood in Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Bukit Bintang is known for its glitzy malls and bars, which tourists make a beeline for. However, among the bustling nightspots and shopping centres, there are at least six agarwood shops and perfumeries along that street alone, attracting the stream of Arab visitors looking for the expensive scent used to, among others, spray on the curtains that cover the Kaabah in Mecca and for incense burnt in their homes. Preparing for the coming “Arab season” in August, these thriving shops have boxes and boxes of the rare wood in stock, mostly sourced from Malaysian rainforests. Shopkeepers said they buy their [...]