Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)
Making business scents: how to harvest incense sustainably from the globally threatened lansan tree Protium attenuatum
Decreasing
Is the species endemic HIDE
Unknown
Population Status
Common and wildly distributed
No formal international protection in place
National Level
Formal national protection in place
A national management plan has been devised whereby tap- pers will be licensed and trained in the optimal method and granted their own forest coupes to manage under Forestry Department supervision.
Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species
Unsustainable extraction of lansan resin for domestic use and trade is inferred to have been an historical cause of decline in all range states and continues to be a significant threat. On Saint Lucia, higher rates of tree mortalities and poorer regeneration of Protium attenuatum have been reported in heavily exploited areas (Toussaint, 2009), with evidence of disease spreading from tapped to non-tapped trees (Daltry et al. 2015). Habitat loss has been, and continues to be, a threat in some range states.
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Protium attenuatum
Common Name(s)
Lansan Tree
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of
Only parts or products of the organism (e.g., feathers, leaves, branches, eggs, nuts)
Details of parts/products taken
the white exudate is obtained by slashing the bark, and coagulates and hardens before being scraped off with a knife approximately 2 weeks later; Tappers use a variety of cutting tools and techniques, and each tree may be visited and cut multiple times by different tappers,
Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?
Unknown/not recorded
Purpose of Use
Income generation from trade at individual or household or community
Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Cultural/spiritual
Additional Details (if available)
harvesting of the valuable oleo-resin, which is used as incense.
Dried lansan is burned as incense at religious ceremonies, to treat various ailments (e.g. sinus congestion and arthritis), as a mosquito repellent, and to ward off evil spirits;
What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National / local private sector
International private sector
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
In Saint Lucia, lansan is bought by at least 60% of Saint Lucians and by almost every church; it is also exported over- seas
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is improving the status (e.g., population is increasing or stabilising, extraction effort OR catch per unit effort is decreasing or stable)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
traditional methods used by local tappers were destructive, causing greater decay and infection, slower growth rates and increased mortality. Lansan trees are still abundant in Saint Lucia’s rainforests but face increasing pressure from uncontrolled extraction of their aromatic oleoresin
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Details of assessment carried out
traditional methods used by local tappers were destructive, causing greater decay and infection, slower growth rates and increased mortality.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
Daltry, J., Prospere, A., Toussaint, A., Gengelbach, J., & Morton, M. (2015). Making business scents: How to harvest incense sustainably from the globally threatened lansan tree Protium attenuatum. Oryx, 49(3), 431-441. doi:10.1017/S003060531400115X