this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Global agarwood trade heavily dependent on wild, threatened trees: Study (news.mongabay.com)
submitted 6 days ago by wolfyvegan@slrpnk.net to c/treehuggers@slrpnk.net
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  • The global agarwood trade heavily depends on wild-harvested endangered tree species, despite international regulations for protection, with significant volumes going undocumented in official trade records, a new study reveals.
  • About 70% of the trade depend on Aquilaria filaria and Aquilaria malaccensis, both threatened species, sourced from the wild, raising major sustainability concerns. Meanwhile, there are some tree species that are not even covered by CITES, the global wildlife trade convention.
  • Due to discrepancies between CITES and customs data, along with weak enforcement and outdated regulations, researchers suggest the illegal trade is far larger than reported.
  • Researchers urge stronger monitoring, updated data, expanded species protection, and a shift to cultivated sources. They also call on consumers and wealthy importers to support conservation and governments to promote sustainable practices.

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[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I used to tutor Saudi international students in English. Their apartments always smelled of oud smoke. I loved it. It smelled clean, rich, and almost poetic. When one friend returned to his home and family for the summer, he brought me back a little gold box of oud chips. I still have it.

I associate oud with friendship, especially vital friendships across cultures and nations.

I genuinely hope they’re successful in saving the wild trees.

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

There definitely is a reason why agarwood is so prized by those in the know and it is a blessing that it is not all that popular.

They have learned how to make it fairly reliably, but it still depends on two species of tree that takes years to grow. I fully expect those trees to become extinct in my lifetime because humans will be humans and a poor human with access to a valuable natural resource will exploit it to live.