Inaccuracies in the reporting of volume and monetary value of large-scale rosewood seizures

It is increasingly realised that for a proper understanding of the illegal aspects of the international timber trade sound data on seizures is needed. Their value, however, may be greatly diminished in the absence of accurate reporting. International trade in rosewood is regulated through CITES, with large amounts trafficked illegally, and annually thousands of seizures are made. Unfamiliarity with the differences between ton and tonne as a unit of mass —the former equalling 907 kg and the latter 1000 kg and this is unrelated to US vs UK English spelling— has led to misreporting. Only the tonne is accepted by the Système international (and given the symbol t). Eighty-three independent reports of 19 large-scale rosewood seizures from nine countries (2013−2021) referred to mass in tonnes 48 times and in tons 35 times, without any conversion having taken place. The monetary value of rosewood in these seizures differed US$3246 t−1 depending on whether ton or tonnes were used. Accurate reporting and conversion of mass to the same unit there where needed is especially relevant when presenting aggregate analyses of the illegal timber trade.