Poor regulatory capacity limits the ability of science to influence the management of mahogany

Decades of research have had virtually no impact on harvesting rates or harvesting practices for mahogany (Swietenia spp.), among the most valuable timber species of Latin America. Despite the existence of science-based regulations, mahogany is rapidly and often illegally harvested to the point where its density is so depleted that logging is no longer commercially viable. The lack of influence of science on forest management is not a result of scientific deficiency; rather, it is a political and economic failure to implement existing forest management policies. Until political will and regulatory capacity for enforcement exist or until buyers insist on meaningful verification that shipments were legally obtained, there is little incentive for reform and policies regulating the use of mahogany will not be implemented. Thus, under present conditions, there is little opportunity for science to influence the fate of mahogany. The case study of mahogany provides an excellent example not only of the difficulty for research to inform forest management, but also of demonstrating the key elements necessary for effective implementation of any forest policy.