Big leaf mahogany is found within wet and dry tropical forests. It ranges from the north of the State of Veracruz to Yucatan in Mexico, along the north Atlantic slope of Central America to Venezuela and Brazil. It also occurs in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia at elevations of up to 4900 feet (1500 m), and on Cape Verde Islands. Within the Amazon it grows most commonly on the southern periphery where rainforest transitions into Cerrado woodland, because of drier and seasonal climatic conditions. There are four species of mahagony/Sweitenia in Latin America: Caribbean mahogany (Swietenia mahogani), Honduran or Pacific Coast mahogany (Swietenia humilis), bigleaf or big-leafed mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and Venezuelan mahogany (Swietenia candollei). There is much confusion as to their common names, with bigleaf mahogany often being called true mahogany, genuine mahogany, South American mahogany or Honduran mahogany. Some local names include acajou and caoba. Similar species in the same family (Meliaceae) are found in Africa, however big-leaf mahogany is the one used for the majority of commercial trade. Bigleaf mahogany is listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 

Why?

Mahogany logging started in the 1500s with the European invasion and the ensuing big wave of deforestation in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Since the 1500s, mahogany has been a prized timber product. Used for high-quality furniture and musical instruments. Valued for its deep reddish color, durability, and beauty. Although mahogany only comprises a small percentage of the total trees cut down in the Amazon, one tree can sell for thousands of dollars in the US market. The US is the largest importer of mahogany. Hence, US demand helped to decimate the populations of Caribbean and Honduran mahogany. Later, big-leafed mahogany was targeted, first mostly in Central America. Mahogany imports to the US from around 1900 to 1960 were almost entirely from Belize and Mexico. During WWII, big-leaf mahogany served as a strategic resource to manufacture boat propellers. Imports from 1960 to 2002 were largely from Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. Since Bolivia banned the export of mahogany in 2011, exports have fallen. From 1995 to 1998, U.S. imports from Bolivia decreased by two-thirds, while U.S. imports from Peru surged nearly fourfold. In 2001, Brazil put a moratorium on mahogany exports making Peru the leading exporter. Since 2002, with Brazil's recent crackdown on illegal mahogany logging and Bolivia's shift to mostly certified logging operations, Peru has become the largest exporter to the US. Much of the logging there is illegal, as most of it was in Brazil and much of it in Bolivia. According to US Department of Agriculture data, between January and July 2013, Peru exported $20 million in wood to the United States, increasing $5 million from $15 million reported in January to July 2012. A 2012 World Bank report estimated that 80% of Peruvian timber export came from illegal logging.

In Peru, as of 2004, mahogany's range has shrunk by 50%, and it is estimated that within a decade, a further 28% will be extinguished. As of 2010 Brazil’s mahogany was reduced by 65% .