In March 2023, relying on the Research Institute of Wood Industry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, China’s first CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Wildlife Forensic Testing Laboratory was established in Beijing. The Laboratory is also one of the first 12 global wildlife forensic testing laboratories announced at the 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP19). By building an internationally leading timber species identification and traceability platform, the Laboratory aims to improve China’s wood identification system, enhance wood technology innovation and international cooperation capabilities, fully support the implementation of the Convention, and provide significant scientific and technological support to promote national ecological security and biodiversity conservation.
The Research Institute of Wood Industry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry currently has an internationally renowned wood specimen resource library with one of the largest collections in the world. It has collected a total of 42,467 domestic and foreign wood specimens, belonging to 262 families, 2,339 genera, and 9,449 species, providing important scientific and technological resources for the conservation of endangered tree species diversity and its scientific research. The Research Institute of Wood Industry, together with scientific research institutions from nine countries including the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew), took the lead in establishing the "Wood Identification" team of the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO).
As a member of the Chinese government delegation, the Research Institute of Wood Industry participated in the CITES COP18, and the 73rd, 74th and 77th Standing Committee Meetings and the 25th Plant Committee Meeting. The Institute also performed its duties for the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), Endangered Species Scientific Committee and Wild Plant Standardization Technical Committee of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. The Research Institute of Wood Industry organized and participated in more than 70 international and domestic trainings on fulfilling Convention, trained 5,200 domestic and foreign law enforcement officials for timber related convention fulfilment, and assisted in combating illegal trade in endangered wild plants. The endangered wood identification case undertaken by the Research Institute of Wood Industry was included in the Progress Report on China's Fulfilling the Global Plant Conservation Strategy (2011-2020). In addition, its published English monograph Promoting Timber Identification-Anatomy and Molecular Technology and Illustrated Guide to the Identification of Commonly Traded Endangered Wood were included in CITES's official archives.
Looking forward to the future, the CITES Wildlife Forensic Testing Laboratory will further strengthen its responsibility and service with an attitude of exploration, responsibility, openness, and innovation, continue to promote the construction of a wood specimen resource library, improve wood innovation capabilities and Convention fulfillment strategic research levels, and provide strong scientific and technological support for national endangered species protection and CITES compliance, and to further facilitate China's ecological civilization construction and global biodiversity protection.
For any questions, please contact: Jiao Lichao, jiaolc@caf.ac.cn.
