Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry
Societal Impact Statement Sandalwood and other high value tree species are under significant threat from illegal harvest. Illegal logging is an increasing problem contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and funding transnational crime. Successful prosecution of illegal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Plants, People, Planet |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10349 |
| _version_ | 1797900508465201152 |
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| author | Ellyse Bunney Francesca A. McInerney Eleanor Dormontt Arif Malik Nina Welti David Wilkins Malcolm Plant Dhanushka S. Hettiarachchi Darren Thomas Ashley Dowell Tresa Hamalton Andrew J. Lowe |
| author_facet | Ellyse Bunney Francesca A. McInerney Eleanor Dormontt Arif Malik Nina Welti David Wilkins Malcolm Plant Dhanushka S. Hettiarachchi Darren Thomas Ashley Dowell Tresa Hamalton Andrew J. Lowe |
| author_sort | Ellyse Bunney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Societal Impact Statement Sandalwood and other high value tree species are under significant threat from illegal harvest. Illegal logging is an increasing problem contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and funding transnational crime. Successful prosecution of illegal logging is hindered by a lack of methods to provide evidence of the origin of timber. New analytical techniques have been developed to trace timber back to its source. These methods, together with the establishment of sustainable sources of forest resources, can help protect vulnerable species by providing evidence to prosecute illegal harvest and ensure that commercially available forest products come from sustainable sources. Summary Sandalwood is highly valued for its fragrant oil and has a long history of cultural and economic importance in many regions of the world. Historical overharvest and poor management have depleted natural populations of sandalwood, which are slow to regenerate. The increasing establishment of plantation sandalwood creates an alternative resource for the sandalwood industry while potentially relieving harvesting pressure on natural stands. Due to the high demand for sandalwood, remaining wild populations are still under threat from illegal logging and methods to identify the source of harvested sandalwood are needed. Laws and regulations aimed at preventing illegal harvest and possession of sandalwood have been put in place but cannot be enforced without the forensic tools to independently verify claimed origin or product quality. The high value of sandalwood combined with the difficulties in enforcing illegal logging laws makes these species particularly vulnerable to poaching. There is an immediate need to develop tools that can identify illegally sourced and adulterated sandalwood products. This paper reviews the current and developing scientific tools that can help identify and control illegal activity in sandalwood supply chains and provides recommendations for future research. Topics include isotope and DNA analysis for tracing illegally harvested sandalwood, chemical profiling for quality control of sandalwood oils, network and policy development to establish a framework for future regulation of the sandalwood trade. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T08:46:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0bbf2ae79a546d8ad760fc316bfe725 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2572-2611 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T08:46:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants, People, Planet |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0bbf2ae79a546d8ad760fc316bfe7252023-02-22T08:10:49ZengWileyPlants, People, Planet2572-26112023-03-015219020210.1002/ppp3.10349Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestryEllyse Bunney0Francesca A. McInerney1Eleanor Dormontt2Arif Malik3Nina Welti4David Wilkins5Malcolm Plant6Dhanushka S. Hettiarachchi7Darren Thomas8Ashley Dowell9Tresa Hamalton10Andrew J. Lowe11Department of Earth Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaDepartment of Earth Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Waite Campus Urrbrae South Australia AustraliaDepartment for Environment and Water Government of South Australia Port Lincoln South Australia AustraliaDepartment of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Government of Western Australia Kensington Western Australia AustraliaProduct Specialist, Quintis Sandalwood West Perth Western Australia AustraliaDouble Helix Tracking Technologies Pte Ltd. SingaporeSouthern Cross Analytical Research Services Southern Cross University East Lismore New South Wales AustraliaTree Improvement and Genetics Division Institute of Wood Science and Technology Bangalore IndiaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia AustraliaSocietal Impact Statement Sandalwood and other high value tree species are under significant threat from illegal harvest. Illegal logging is an increasing problem contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and funding transnational crime. Successful prosecution of illegal logging is hindered by a lack of methods to provide evidence of the origin of timber. New analytical techniques have been developed to trace timber back to its source. These methods, together with the establishment of sustainable sources of forest resources, can help protect vulnerable species by providing evidence to prosecute illegal harvest and ensure that commercially available forest products come from sustainable sources. Summary Sandalwood is highly valued for its fragrant oil and has a long history of cultural and economic importance in many regions of the world. Historical overharvest and poor management have depleted natural populations of sandalwood, which are slow to regenerate. The increasing establishment of plantation sandalwood creates an alternative resource for the sandalwood industry while potentially relieving harvesting pressure on natural stands. Due to the high demand for sandalwood, remaining wild populations are still under threat from illegal logging and methods to identify the source of harvested sandalwood are needed. Laws and regulations aimed at preventing illegal harvest and possession of sandalwood have been put in place but cannot be enforced without the forensic tools to independently verify claimed origin or product quality. The high value of sandalwood combined with the difficulties in enforcing illegal logging laws makes these species particularly vulnerable to poaching. There is an immediate need to develop tools that can identify illegally sourced and adulterated sandalwood products. This paper reviews the current and developing scientific tools that can help identify and control illegal activity in sandalwood supply chains and provides recommendations for future research. Topics include isotope and DNA analysis for tracing illegally harvested sandalwood, chemical profiling for quality control of sandalwood oils, network and policy development to establish a framework for future regulation of the sandalwood trade.https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10349geographic originillegal loggingisotopic provenancingsandalwoodtimber trackingtraceability |
| spellingShingle | Ellyse Bunney Francesca A. McInerney Eleanor Dormontt Arif Malik Nina Welti David Wilkins Malcolm Plant Dhanushka S. Hettiarachchi Darren Thomas Ashley Dowell Tresa Hamalton Andrew J. Lowe Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry Plants, People, Planet geographic origin illegal logging isotopic provenancing sandalwood timber tracking traceability |
| title | Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| title_full | Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| title_fullStr | Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| title_short | Safeguarding sandalwood: A review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| title_sort | safeguarding sandalwood a review of current and emerging tools to support sustainable and legal forestry |
| topic | geographic origin illegal logging isotopic provenancing sandalwood timber tracking traceability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10349 |
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