The severe, long-term over harvesting and subsequent decline in wild Aquilaria and Gyrinops species resulted in an Appendix II listing by CITES. In Malaysia, for example, Chua et al. (2016) reported that more than 90% of trees with dbh > 30 cm had already disappeared on the Peninsula between 1993 and 2013, primarily due to harvesting, most of it illegal. The CITES listing requires that range states and importers regulate more closely the use of the species, with any material exported requiring a permit. This affords some protection to the wild populations that remain, but also requires international cooperation from buyers.
The process leading to the CITES listing began in November 1994, when India proposed that A. malaccensis be included in Appendix II on concern that international demand was threatening the survival of the species. A. malaccensis was listed in 1995 and, starting in 1998, there were discussions at the Plants Committee about protecting more agarwood species. At CITES COP 13 in 2005, Indonesia formally proposed that all Aquilaria and Gyrinops species be listed in Appendix II. The proposal was approved, resulting in the listing of another 19-plus Aquilaria species as well as 8 Gyrinops species.
As a consequence of the listing, all countries exporting any agarwood product must issue export permits and report the amounts exported to CITES. A country must also indicate to CITES via a “non-detriment finding” (NDF) that agarwood exports will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
The listing provides an incentive for countries to conserve remaining stocks and to better manage their populations of agarwood-producing tree species in order to maintain their export industry. It also places an on us on importing countries to try to ensure that any wood that they import has been legally harvested. Some countries have since argued that the list is too inclusive because not all species are endangered, and because not all Aquilaria species produce agarwood.