This is the first in a series of guides to timbers regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It gives the vital information required by CITES authorities and traders, in a simple and visually attractive form, on what requires permits, international trade patterns and the identification of wood and products in trade. It includes an innovative interactive CD-ROM for the identification of RAMIN timbers regulated by CITES. The CD-ROM contains a database of photographs of macroscopic characteristics with descriptions and notes on identification and works on a process of elimination to arrive at the identification of a particular timber. The guide targets trade in Ramin (Gonystylus spp.) a light tropical hardwood, native to peat forest swamps of Southeast Asia, which is regulated on Appendix II of CITES and has a significant international trade in wood, semi-finished products (furniture parts, louver doors) and finished products (picture frames, pool cues).