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Endangered African Wood at Cobb Energy Arts Center
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CLASSICAL CON BLASTO blog
As soon as this article about the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre’s use of endangered African makore wood went online, a lively discussion started among readers.
There’s also a second story, about the rare Brazilian wood used to make violin bows.
One paragraph that didn’t make it into the final version of the story set up what is perhaps the big picture — the international conservation groups vs. the powerful U.S. timber industry. As soon as endangered wood is mentioned, the timber interests seem to inject “discrediting” political values.
Here’s the missing graph:
Several non-governmental organizations that track endangered or threatened species say makore is as risk. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Cambridge, England, issues a “Red List” of the world’s most endangered plants and animals, based primarily on data published by scientists working in the field. T. heckelii [makore] is on the current list. ([Dooge Veneer wood distributor John] Flood calls the agency’s Red List “radical,” and says it’s “to the left, rather than in the middle…not very credible.”)
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