SANTIAGO, Chile - A U.N. body voted Wednesday to restrict the international trade of bigleaf mahogany, sea horses, and 26 species of sea turtles but failed to pass legislation to protect two species of threatened sharks. In what conservation groups hailed as a historic decision, the 160 delegates at the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to limit trade of bigleaf mahogany by listing it as a threatened species.

Conservationists say the remaining mahogany reserves in the Amazon basin will now receive greater protection from illegal poaching.

But Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru - the countries with the largest mahogany reserves - opposed the initiative on the grounds that their conservation measures were sufficient to protect the tropical hardwood tree that has been decimated in recent decades.

An American initiative to protect sea horses, whose numbers have declined by up to 95 percent due to overfishing to supply traditional medicine and aquarium industries, passed unanimously.

"This is a huge step forward in the conservation of global sea horse populations," said Lesley Gidding, a specialist from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The delegates also approved an initiative sponsored by China, the United States, and Germany to restrict the trade of 26 species of sea turtles, whose numbers have sharply declined due to habitat destruction and pollution.

However, delegates failed to muster enough votes to pass two proposals to protect two species of shark. The whale shark, the world's largest fish, and its smaller cousin, the basking shark, have been hunted heavily for their fins, which are used in Asian cuisine.

Japan, which has adamantly protected its fishing interests, led opposition to the shark proposals.

Copyright 2002, Associated Press All Rights Reserved