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      1. Priority Species

African Teak

The towering giant

Unsustainable illegal logging threatens this giant of western and central Africa.

The African teak has brown, green or yellow-brown bark and a straight grain.

  • Common names

    Afrormosia, Kokrodua and Assamela

  • Scientific Name

    Pericopsis elata

  • Status

    IUCN - endangered; listed on CITES appendix II

  • Habitat

    Drier parts of semi-deciduous forests

  • Height

    up to 50 m

  • Did you know?

    The trunk of the African teak is clear of foliage for the first 25-30 m

Related links

More information

Decimated over the last 50 years

Exploitation of this species by commercial and illegal loggers destroys the natural resources on which local indigenous communities rely for their livelihoods. It also directly impacts on other species which live in these forests, including chimpanzees, gorillas and forest elephants.

Threats
Since 1948 trade in African teak timber has soared. Levels of exploitation have been unsustainable in all countries and the species' habitat has declined.

Regeneration is insufficient to replace lost subpopulations. Although there have been attempts to grow the tree in plantations, these efforts are hampered by its slow growth rates, and conservation actions must focus on preserving what remains. The main importing country is Italy.

Priority Species

African teak is a WWF priority species. WWF treats priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically and/or culturally important species on our planet. And so we are working to ensure such species can live and thrive in their natural habitats.

What is WWF doing?

WWF works to improve the sustainable management of the timber trade. It works with governments and local communities to improve measures to halt illegal logging and smuggling and implement effective forestry laws.

It also works with both exporter and importer countries to raise awareness of the impact of buying uncertified wood, which may have been illegally sourced. It promotes the Forest Stewardship Council, which provides accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.

WWF operates numerous projects to further this goal, including:

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