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Why the Violin is Endangered
If you think the problem of endangered species is all about tigers, elephants and orangutans, ask a violinist where he gets his bow. The best violin bows are made from pau brasil, a tree from the Brazilian rain forest that has been exploited for 500 years, and was once so economically vital for the red dye it produced that it gave its name to the only country where it grows.
Pau brasil is among dozens of plants and animals threatened with extinction that are on the agenda of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, which opens its meeting Sunday. About 7,000 animals and 32,000 plant families now are regulated, including more than 800 species which are banned completely from commerce.
Bows from brazilwood, also known as Pernambuco, have been coveted by musicians since Mozart’s time in the mid-1700s for their sound quality, density, rich color and strength in holding a curve.
Brazil has tried to halt the decline of the tree’s coastal habitat, delineating 189 national forests and protected areas as it works to fend off the encroachments of sugar and coffee plantations, gold miners, timber merchants and cattlemen.
It takes a lot of wood to make a violin bow – of every 3,300 pounds (1,497 kilograms), only 220 to 440 pounds (100 to 200 kilograms) are usable, experts say, and 80 percent of that is wasted in carving the bow. The tree has a trunk only about 15 feet (4.5 meters) long, meaning a single tree can produce only a few bows.
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