Welcome!
Paul Harrison Technical Advisor to Mpingo Conservation Project
Sound & Fair: A Campaign Developed in Partnership Sound & Fair ~ A campaign to realise a sustainable trade in African blackwood
Enormous Potential of Blackwood... For people living in the forests of Southern Tanzania, the African Blackwood tree has the potential to be worth its weight in gold.
.... a hidden treasure Strip away the bark however and something extraordinary is revealed........dark, lustrous heartwood
What is African Blackwood? East African Blackwood, known in Swahili as Mpingo Named after intense dark heartwood Thought to be the original ebony of the ancient Egyptians
Unsustainable rate of Logging Blackwood grows all across sub-Saharan Africa … … but only in significant quantities in Tanzania and Mozambique. None left in Kenya Not much in northern Tanzania ...going fast in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique
Disappearing Forests First all the valuable hardwoods are cut... Then undersized trees... ....Make charcoal with what’s left ...Remaining scrub cleared for agriculture
Not much in it for communities Current logging is unsustainable: + 70% is illegal, some areas Shameful price paid to local people If people own the forest, corruption harder – people then have an interest in good forest management
Not much incentive for communities in the past Communities were previously apathetic about illegal harvesting Blackwood has various local uses … … but for most there are good substitutes
What price a few trees? Top quality teaks and mahoganies cost around £4,500 per m 3 Export quality blackwood costs upwards of £8,000 per m 3 A good oboe might cost £2,500 in the shop But the village only gets two pence for the wood
Where MCP works Tanzania Kilwa District
Research Based Beginnings... • “Cambridge Mpingo Project” 1995 - • Became MCP in 2002 • Ecological Research • Attitudes and Uses
The Mpingo Conservation Project: Objectives & Activities Community Forestry Rural Development Awareness Raising Priority Research
Instrument Supply Chain Starts with village Then loggers Sawmill & Export Import & Export Manufacturing Wholesale/Distribution Retail xxx
Timeline of Supply Chain
Participatory Forest Management
Steps to Community Forest Management 1. Obtain a title deed to the village land 2. Assess the forest 3. Write a management plan 4. Enact byelaws 5. Obtain approval PARTICIPATION IS ESSENTIAL!
Logging & Sawmill The next stage is the logging - the loggers are usually contracted by a sawmill And the sawmill which turns the best parts of the wood into billets and exports them
Export, Import, Manufacture The next stage is the export, the shipping and the import of processed billets Which are bought by Manufacturers Some manufacturers retail direct
Wholesale, retail The final stages are in the sale from manufacturer to either retailer or wholesaler…. …from wholesaler to retailer in music shops and specialist retailers …& sold to musicians Simple.
Certification Follows the supply chain Group forest management rights of MCP Community forest monitored by MCP Loggers Union part of this Sawmill has own Chain of Custody certificate CoC certificates required across supply chain
Chain of Custody
Fair Economics Our aim therefore to be giving villages At least £4.50 on a £1,100 oboe (not 1p) Rising to £25 on a £1500 oboe as the market takes shape Not a lot? An Oboe: 00014 of a cubic metre...
Economics of Sound & Fair: Without any PFM/Certification 0% 0% 0% 0% Price Paid to Village by Sawmill A 15% Price Paid to Sawmill by Exporter A Price Paid to Exporter by Importer A 8% Price Paid to Importer by UK Manufacturer A 7% Price Paid to UK Manufacturer by Distributor A Price Paid to Distributor by Retailer A 70% Retailer Take (exc VAT) A VAT inclusive (Sales Price) A Village gets one penny on the oboe RRP of £900
Economics of Sound & Fair: With PFM/Certification 0% 0% 0% 0% Price Paid to Village by Sawmill C 15% Price Paid to Sawmill by Exporter C Price Paid to Exporter by Importer C 10% Price Paid to Importer by UK Manufacturer C Price Paid to UK Manufacturer by Distributor C 8% Price Paid to Distributor by Retailer C 67% Retailer Take (exc VAT) C VAT inclusive (Sales Price) C Village gets £4.50 on the oboe RRP of £1,100
Forests are Life “Msitu ni uhai” Poor rural communities depend heavily on forest resources in their everyday lives. & with forests making money for communities, they are not only life, but livelihoods
Profitable trade, with managed benefits for African people Profits will be used by village committees typically to: Drill a new well Replenish the drugs dispensary Build a new classroom Hire some extra teachers Repair the road Invest in local businesses
A reminder of Sound & Fair Campaign Objectives 1. Provide forest dependent people with the security and support needed to harvest the trees at sustainable rates – the sound part; 2. Help forest-dependent people get the best possible price for the wood – the fair part.
Target Audience Woodwind Musicians Manufacturers Music Retailers Music Colleges Universities Music Events Ethical trade events & Aim for Quality & Aesthetics throughout
Tim Cumine Timber trade specialist & consultant to Fauna & Flora International
Fylde Guitars Mark Norris Harps Wm Sinclair & Son, Bagpipes
African blackwood ( Dalbergia melanoxylon) mpingo, grenadilla, (East African) ebony
Or in other words… … African ironwood, ebbehout, ebene de Mocambique, ebenier du Senegal, ebony, grenadill, grenadillo, Mozambiq ue ebony, palisandre de Senegal, schwarzholz, Senegal ebony, zebrawood
… babanous, babanuse, babanusi, begboio, bokango, chella, chilutsu, chinsale, dalaban, dialambram, dialam bani, did, dieldianadju, driedoring, endisika, faiti, funiti, gelhelahi, gembe, kafundula, kalgalam, kasalusalu, kel to, Kidamo , kikwaju, Kinti , kio, kissikiinde, koffo, jalh elahi, jeti- ebo, lurr, masojanda , mboranguluwe, mfwankomo, m gembe, mgembya , mhembete, mhembote , mhingo , minday , mkelete, moghano, moghono, mokelete, m otangu, msalu, muengo, mufulamba, mufunjo, muhulur i, mugembe, mugweze, muhati, mukudziti, mukumudw e, mukelete, mumbeze, mumhingwe, munhowe, mupa ko , murwiti, musukachama, musunkomo, mutsonga, muvingu, mwajinde , mwengo, ngembi , ndelemban, n gelgelalu, nyamfunga , nyamfunza, oitiaska , oitlaska , pau preto, poyi, pulupulu, q'oya, red, rit, rugbe, samachi, s ebrahuot, shami, shilutsi, shipalatsi, siebou, swartdried oring, tabum, tamumo, tarech, tareh, umbambangwe, umPhingo, zebe, zibeh, zobbi, zoppi.
Boxwood Flute (1800) and Oboe (1843)
from the New York Times, 15 th October 1895
Cocuswood … … from the Caribbean, was the wood of choice for woodwind instruments until about 1900, when it was effectively logged out as a commercial species and the alternative found to replace it was East African Ebony, or African Blackwood.
Of 87 timbers in use in UK instrument making, blackwood had the following rankings.. • Bending strength – 1 st • Density - 2 nd • Hardness - 5 th • Crushing strength – 10 th • Shearing Strength – 2 nd • Stiffness – 10 th
Clarinets
Oboe & Cor Anglais
Highland Bagpipes
Scottish Smallpipes
Uilleann or Union Pipes
Northumbrian Pipes
Flute & Piccolo
Whistles Recorders
Acoustic Guitars
Guitar fingerboard / Picks / Lute pegs
Timber requires an absolute minimum of 15 months seasoning before an instrument can be produced from it.
Alternative woodwind timbers include, kingwood, co cobolo, ebony, mopa ne, boxwood and a range of fruitwoods
• Global consumption =150 – 200 m3 / yr • 20 makers in UK = 20 m3 • 9 out of 20 interested in 2006 < 1m3 • Average 25% price increase
Makers’ Concerns • Form • Dimension
• Structural integrity • Colour • Grain
Waste Minimisation Better supply • cylinders, pre turned, • gun drilled • better dimensions Use of offcuts • Accessories • Other Craft uses • Oil • Composite
Certification Requirements • Separation of Timber • Volumes in and out • Correct labelling • Correct use of certificate
Prospects • UK trades under pressure from other markets • Few certified instruments globally • Option of bringing other timbers – Tanzanian and elsewhere into certification
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