Sustaining the Fragrance of Arabia

This is oodh, popularly referred to in trading circles as agarwood, the tree's fragrant heartwood. Both agarwood smoke and oil are used as customary perfume in the Middle East.

So where's the problem? As an oodh dealer in Dubai's fabled spice souq explained, 'The tragedy of the oodh industry is that whole trees have to be felled to obtain these delicate inner layers.' But he was still off the mark; because whole trees are felled even if they don't contain oodh. The reason: Only a small proportion of the Aquilaria trees actually contain agarwood. Few collectors can tell from external characteristics whether or not a tree harbours resinous oodh; so, the tree is split open. As a result, trees are being indiscriminately felled in search of the precious, 'diseased wood.' Aquilaria are being over-exploited to commercial extinction.

In 1995, one agarwood specie - Aquilaria malaccensis - was listed under the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, which allowed international trade only with permits. CITES was adopted in 1973 to address the threat posed by unsustainable international trade in wildlife. With some 166 Parties, including the UAE, CITES is one of the world's most important agreements on species conservation and the non-detrimental use of wildlife.

CITES listing of A. malaccensis, however, did little to curtail agarwood trade. There are 24 other Aquilaria species and 7 of Gyrinops from which agarwood is sourced. CITES regulated international trade in one specie. Different agarwood species can only be identified when in flower or by DNA analysis; and as agarwood is traded at product level - e.g. wood chips, powder, and oil - a non-expert cannot distinguish between species. International trade in oodh, therefore, continued unabated, fuelled by both high demand and high prices.

Aquilaria species and Gyrinops species will be discussed at the 13th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP 13) that is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, October 2 - 14, 2004. It is being proposed by Indonesia that all agarwood species of genus Aquilaria and Gyrinops be listed in Appendix II on the grounds that the specimens resemble specimens of the currently listed A. malaccensis. The proposal will be among 50 to be considered by the CITES CoP 13 for improving the conservation and sustainable use of species.

Agarwood producing tree species grow naturally in countries of South and Southeast Asia from India eastwards to Papua New Guinea, including Southeast China. Current demand within the Middle East and Asia is supplied almost entirely from unmanaged, wild-harvested stocks, many of which are declining as a result. Widespread illegal harvest and trade are also reported to meet the global demand, which currently exceeds the available supply.

As international demand for agarwood is increases, agarwood trees are becoming more difficult to find. It is reported by collectors that non-infected trees are increasingly being felled to harvest just a few kilos of diseased wood; and collection is taking place even in protected areas. Illegal agarwood harvest and/or trade has been reported from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR., Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and, more and more, Papua New Guinea - the last frontier for substantial wild stocks of agarwood. Heavily exploited in the rest of the world, with 8 species considered threatened, agarwood has paved the way for a new gold rush in Papua New Guinea's lowland forests, as local communities have begun searching for the aromatic wood previously unknown to them. Already, illegal trade in agarwood from PNG is estimated to be much larger than the legal. The rush accelerates as communities realise the value of the product.

Agarwood oil prices can range from US $ 5,000 to US $ 10,000 per kg. In the UAE too, oodh doesn't come cheap, with 1 kg of average quality reportedly costing Dh 200; and the very best as much as Dh 20,000.

Valued in Aurvedic, Tibetan and East Asian medicine for its ability to treat a range of disorders, agarwood is also used by Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus as incense in religious ceremonies and as a customary perfume. Agarwood essences are used to fragrance soaps and shampoos, and the popularity of highly priced essential oils reinforces the value of agarwood derivatives. In Taiwan agar is an aromatic ingredient in local wines.

Agar is used at a national level but it is mainly exported to Taiwan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Indonesia and Malaysia are currently the main countries of export; and Singapore is known to be the country re-exporting the largest quantities of agarwood from Indonesia. India was once a major supplier of agarwood to international markets, but it now acts primarily as a processing centre since its own natural stocks have been largely depleted by over exploitation.

Inclusion of all agarwood species in Appendix II of CITES will not halt the trade. It would regulate it. Plants and animals categorised in Appendix II may be traded legally, provided valid permits accompany shipments. Whether this happens or not rests in the hands of the CITES Parties meeting in Bangkok.

Who knows? The fragrance of Arabia may still live on.