Brazilian Rosewood & the Legalities of Import Export & Possession‏

I do not deal in Brazilian Rosewood. The Linnean name of that species is: Dalbergia nigra (Vell.) Allemão ex Benth.

It's distributional range:

Native:

* SOUTHERN AMERICA
Brazil: Brazil - Bahia [s.], Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais [e.], Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo [n.]

In the language of Brazil the wood is known by a number of common names:

Common names:

* Bahia rosewood (Source: Dict Econ Pl )
* Brazilian rosewood (Source: World Econ Pl )
* jacaranda (Source: Websters Dict )
* Rio rosewood (Source: Dict Econ Pl )
* cabiúna-rajada (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* caviúna (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-cabiúna (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-caviúna (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-da-bahia (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-da-Bahia (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-preto (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-roxo (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* jacarandá-una (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) [Portuguese (Brazil)]
* palisandre (Source: Dalbergia Wkshop 10.) [Portuguese (Brazil)]

Brazilian Rosewood is an endangered species. It is illegal to cut down a rosewood in Brazil. As for trade in the wood, prior to it becoming a CITES protected species, I have correspondence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which I copy below:

Dear Mr. Preston:

Thank you for your inquiry. Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) is protected under CITES as an Appendix I species. As such, it may not enter into commercial international trade. However, pre-Convention wood may be traded. This species was listed in CITES on 6/11/92. Any wood exported after that date would need a CITES pre-Convention certificate. However, some stocks of wood were imported into the U.S. before that date, and thus did not need the certificate.

What you should do to make sure the wood you are interested in purchasing is to contact the supplier, ask them to provide you either (1) a copy of the CITES pre-Convention certificate, stamped "cleared" by USDA/APHIS to show legal import if the wood came into the U.S. after 6/11/96, or (2) an invoice showing they purchased the wood in the U.S. before 6/11/92 (showing that it was imported before the listing date), or (3) if they imported the wood themselves before 1992, documentation of that import to prove the pre-1992 date (customs documents, shipping documents, bill of lading, etc.)