The current CITES Summit (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Johannesburg South Africa has voted to further tighten global trade on all Rosewood species in another attempt to save these species from extinction.
CITES says that rosewood timber is the world’s most illegally trafficked product accounting for 30% of all seizures by value.
The Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) summit on Thursday placed all 300 species of rosewood under international trade restrictions.
Here’s a report from The Guardian:
Rosewood is one of the world’s premium tonewood timbers, and whilst the tonewood market accounts for only a small percentage of demand nevertheless it is a significant driver in the rosewood marketplace.
Sooner or later the tonewood market is going to have to face the reality of rosewoods bleak future.
Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative 
http://www.leonardo-guitar-research.com
Hi Chris,
I agree the Leonardo Project is a great initiative, making great guitars from temperate hardwoods.
Getting the market to buy them I think will be the biggest challenge.
I also wonder if the wood resource is there for the big commercial builders. Has anyone done any work quantifying the wood resource?
And whilst so many/most luthiers are still happy to promote the exotic and visually stunning over the sustainable it will be a very long road indeed.
Cheers
Gordon