Mahogany

Fine Mahogany cabinet grows in the forest…

Looking at finely carved piece of Mahogany furniture it is easy to focus on the craftsmanship or on the fine grain of the wood, the shine of the polish and forget the story of the product and how it came to be in our home.  Fine furniture is often made of Mahogany. Found singly or in small clusters in rainforests in South America and Africa, Mahogany harvesting has been linked to social injustice for local indigenous peoples and to forest destruction. But it doesn’t need to be this way.

Indeed there are other origins for Mahogany, and TFT has been supporting community based agroforestry systems to ensure more responsible Mahogany reaches the market. In the long term, TFT’s work will also contribute to strengthening the international mahogany market for local farmers and the wider communities involved.

Kostajasa
KSU Taman Wijaya Rasa (KOSTAJASA) is a community cooperative based in the Kebumen District, in Central Java Province, Indonesia, and was formed on 27 August 2007 with 52 founding members. The Group achieved FSC certification in June 2009, and the farmers are now selling FSC certified Mahogany.

TFT’s work on the project started in 2006 by coming to terms with the local socio economic context, working with communities to document their traditional systems for managing mahogany and identifying any risks to the sustainable production of mahogany.  The second year focused on organizing farmers into village groups, agreeing on organizational as well as silvicultural rules and guidelines for the groups and linking the community timber production to high-value markets.  In the third year, the communities have formed a legal cooperative, have received training in FSC certification and continue to grow in their capacity to manage their collective business, while improving their mahogany silviculture systems. Finally in the 4th year of the project, the Group achieved FSC certification.