Asia-Pacific Regional Training Workshop on CITES Non-detriment Findings (NDF) for Timber Species listed in Appendix II

At the Twentieth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP 20) to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from 24 November – 5 December 2025, parties reviewed many listing proposals of animals and plants of which five were tropical tree species from Africa and the Latin America regions. Besides the five tropical tree species that were considered at CoP 20, a Pre-CoP evaluation of flora species at risk of extinction affected by international trade was conducted by the European Union to assess whether they meet the criteria for listing in the CITES Appendices for consideration in future Conference of Parties. These species included Entandrophragma and Shorea species, among others.

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities of Malaysia (KPK), is organizing a regional training workshop for ITTO member countries in the Asia Pacific region. The workshop will be conducted in collaboration with CITES Scientific Authorities (SAs), Management Authorities (MAs), and other relevant regulatory bodies in trade of timber species in the Asia Pacific region.

Global Objective:

By applying the latest version of the 9-Steps NDF guidance for tree species, prepare for an NDF for ‘timber tree species’ and familiarize Asia-Pacific CITES SAs, MAs and Forestry Department officials with the respective methodology for NDF for CITES Appendix II listed timber species.

In addition to the NDF training workshop, a conference on Trade and Markets with private sector engagement will be conducted on Friday 24 April 2026. This component will bring together major players in the timber industry and other stakeholders to deliberate on contemporary issues such as EUDR, CITES regulation, novel wood identification and tracking tools, outlook of trade and markets in the timber industry, among others.

Specific objectives:

- Give an overview of the 9-step NDF approach.

- Train on different steps.

- Using a case study for practical exercises, prepare the basis for an NDF for ‘putative’ Afzelia species.

Target audience and primary beneficiaries:

The target audience and beneficiaries are officials from CITES SAs, CITES MAs, Forestry Departments and Private Sector of the 10 participating countries.

Leading Organizations: ITTO in collaboration with Malaysia Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK). The workshop will be facilitated by TRAFFIC and German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).