CITES "How-To" Guide for luthiers & musicians:
a guide to CITES by Wisdom Tree Institute plus helpful links from others (below)
* guide coming soon*
What is CITES?
“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.” (source: https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php)
CITES: Resources for luthiers and musicians
Title |
Description |
Source / Link(s) |
CITES 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." (source) |
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"CITES Protected Species Travel Tips" |
A guide to the CITES Treaty by the League of American Orchestras, updated August 28, 2019. The guide includes helpful tips to understanding how the CITES Treaty applies to traveling musicians, and provides a list of resources (such as from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a CITES "checklist"), and describes some of the permit requirements for musical instrument travel. |
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"CITES: Rosewood Trade Regulations - Here's how regulations on the international trade of rosewood impact guitar owners" |
This article by Taylor Guitars provides information on the CITES Treaty and its impact on guitar owners. This page on the Taylor Guitars website is broken down into questions, such as "What exactly is CITES?", "What does this mean for owners of rosewood guitars?", and "What do I need to know about traveling with a rosewood guitar?" (source) |
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"A Guitar Lover's Guide to the CITES Conservation Treaty" |
Written by John Thomas, 2008, published on the Fretboard Journal website, this guide takes a look at traveling with a guitar made of Brazilian rosewood, the CITES Treaty and how it affects musicians, and the permits and documentation required for an instrument constructed with restricted tonewoods. John Thomas is a law professor and contributor to Fretboard Journal. |
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"NEW Rules for Protected Species and Musical Instruments: CITES Permits for Traveling Musicians" |
A PowerPoint Presentation, December 7, 2016, hosted by American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music America, League of American Orchestras, NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants), and The Recording Academy. |
Helpful Links:
- One online guide available for musicians, “Guitar Lover’s Guide to CITES Conservation Treaty” written by law professor and Fretboard Journal contributor John Thomas: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/guitar-lovers-guide-cites-conservation-treaty/
- Helpful list of how CITES affects musicians by Taylor Guitars: https://www.taylorguitars.com/cites This web page lists details about how CITES affects rosewood guitars and the musicians that may wish to travel with them or sell them internationally or domestically.
- United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, letter to “U.S. importer/re-exporter of rosewood species”: https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/letter-appendix-II-timber-listings-november-2016.pdf
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service “International Trade in Plants and Wildlife: Information for musicians and manufacturers of musical instruments” fact sheet: https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/factsheet-musical-instruments.pdf
- Traveling with musical instruments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/international/permits/by-activity/musical-instruments.html
- American Orchestras CITES Protected Species Travel Tips: https://americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/travel-with-instruments/endangered-species-material/protected-species-travel-tips.html
- CITES Checklist: http://checklist.cites.org/#/en
- CITES Negotiations for Musical Instruments: https://americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/408463-cites-treaty-negotiations-include-musical-instrument-policies.html
- CITES List of Protected Tree Species: https://www.fws.gov/international/plants/current-cites-listings-of-tree-species.html
- CITES Notification to the Parties concerning Dalbergia spp, Guibourtia demeusei, G. pellegriniana and G. tessmannii (regarding the transport of musical instruments): https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/E-Notif-2017-078.pdf
- PowerPoint presentation and guide on CITES-protected species and traveling with an instrument, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://americanorchestras.org/images/stories/webinars/NewRulesProtectedSpeciesMusicalInstruments_2016.pdf