Open letter – Let's preserve music and its essential woods

15 October 2025 - In an opinion piece published in "Le Monde", an international collective of musicians and conductors warns of the risks to musical life posed by proposals on woods essential for instruments discussed at the upcoming CITES CoP from 24 November to 6 December, while reiterating its commitment to protecting forests and biodiversity.

Read the article on Le Monde's website - List of signatories to the open letter - Sign the petition - Press review

Preserving Music and Its Essential Woods - 20/10/2025

We, musicians, ensembles, orchestras and cultural figures from around the world, issue an appeal to the Member States of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Two types of wood lie at the heart of our trade and our artistic expression: pernambuco (Paubrasilia echinata), a wood unique to the manufacture of modern professional bows, and African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), essential for the manufacture of wind instruments (clarinets, oboes, flutes, bagpipes).

These two protected species, already listed under CITES, are indispensable for instrument making and currently have no substitute capable of offering the same sound and technical qualities.

The risks of transferring pernambuco to Appendix I of CITES
Pernambuco, a species endemic to Brazil, is currently a major concern among music professionals as Brazil is requesting its transfer to Appendix I of CITES. If adopted, this measure would result in a ban on its use and trade, with exceptions requiring special permits. Furthermore, moving it to Appendix I would further endanger the species by invalidating all conservation efforts and replanting programs undertaken with local Brazilian communities.

Following a transfer to Appendix I, the authorities in charge would be faced with an unmanageable explosion in the number of applications for derogation permits.

The integration of this regulation into European law would place even greater constraints for all users. Thus, the mere fact of owning, maintaining or even travelling with a pernambuco bow could be subject to the issuance of a CITES certificate, as is the case for other materials derived from protected species listed in Appendix I of the Washington Convention.

Yet, hundreds of thousands of pernambuco bows, manufactured since the 18th century, are currently used by professional musicians, including violinists, violists, cellists and double bassists.

For classical music ensembles, particularly symphony orchestras and string ensembles, free movement on tour could become virtually impossible or require the use of lower quality equipment, thereby greatly compromising the accuracy and finesse of our performances.

Permanently cut off from access to their raw material, which is currently irreplaceable and therefore unable to replenish their stocks the remaining bow makers, heirs to a unique trade, could disappear for good within a few years.

All this because of unmanageable administrative procedures that offer no benefit to the conservation of pernambuco and its habitat.

The dangers of increasingly limited access to African blackwood
With regard to African blackwood, the issues concern both import conditions into EU countries and export possibilities from producing countries - with Mozambique currently having a restrictive quota that could be further reduced - that are disrupting the replenishment of companies' stocks.

Our wind instrument manufacturers, guardians of centuries-old expertise, are already under threat due to shortages caused by overconsumption of the wood by sectors unrelated to music.

A responsible sector
We, musicians, along with instrument makers, are fully aware of the major environmental challenges facing our society and the urgency of addressing them. We also firmly believe that culture, in the broad sense, must remain a central issue—and that these two priorities are not contradictory, but complementary.

Instrument making is a virtuous sector, using only minimal amounts of wood to produce high-value cultural objects. These instruments, such as bows, can last for decades or even centuries, making them particularly sustainable objects.

In addition, professional instrument makers have been committed for several decades to the conservation of pernambuco and African blackwood species, notably through various replanting initiatives. However, for pernambuco, a move to Appendix I would irrevocably prohibit all access to trees that have been planted thanks to partnerships established with the support of the music sector – bringing together bow makers, luthiers and musicians – over the past 25 years in Brazil.

We firmly believe that it is possible to combine responsible use of resources, protection of biodiversity and the maintenance of a rich and free musical life.

Our call to public authorities:
We now call on the ministries responsible for culture, environment, crafts, and international relations in all CITES Member States to work together. We request:

- The rejection of Brazil's proposal to ban all trade of pernambuco wood and objects containing it. The upholding of pernambuco in Appendix II of CITES with annotation #10, and continuation of the work undertaken in accordance with the recommendations of the last CITES COP at the end of 2022.

- The establishment of a specific quota reserved for instrument making for African blackwood, applied by the two main exporting countries, Mozambique and Tanzania.

- The strengthening of international cooperation between producer countries, instrument-makers and CITES authorities to consolidate a sustainable dialogue between all parties, ensuring both the preservation of species and the continuation of musical practice.

These requests could take shape in a very concrete way through the establishment of highly traceable fair-trade channels for the woods used by the entire instrument-making sector.