Species Use Database

red Sander tree
Pterocarpus santalinus

Used for Decorative and aesthetic, Materials and construction and Conservation Management in India

A. Species

Scientific name: Pterocarpus santalinus

Common name(s): red Sander tree

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Endangered


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • India

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: India


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2005

End Year: 2019


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Logging and/or Wood Harvesting

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal and Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism and Only parts or products of the organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Decorative and aesthetic, Materials and construction and Conservation Management

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people, Non-local Internal, National / local private sector and International private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings; nevertheless, plantations would help alleviate pressures on wild stands and are judged sustainable

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Harvestable girth class of wild stands has drastically declined in recent years, indicating over-harvest in the wild. Although management and protection measures of wild stands are adequate, they cannot be enforced effectively and can thus not mitigate impacts of harvest/ trade, resulting in over-exploitation and ecological unsustainability of use of wild red sander stands. In contrast, seed collection from wild trees for propagation/ cultivation in plantations is not detrimental to wild stands and is thus ecologically sustainable.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: circumference of harvestable wild trees is steadily declining due to over-exploitation, but cultivated trees in plantations grow well and would offer an economically viable alternative for renewable resource.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

- monitoring of wild stands - Legalisation of wild harvest only after stands have been proven to have recovered and stabilised - revision of harvest quotas from plantations with 10% of trees left standing to allow seed collection in plantations and mitigate risk from wild seed collection on natural stands - legalisation of export of logs and value-added, processed wood/ artefacts either from plantation stands or from seized/ confiscated wild trees if chain of custody can be proven - design, implementation and enforcement of chain-of-custody procedure to prove origin of wood/ wood products (confiscated wild trees/ plantation trees) - community involvement in law enforcement - increase in budget allocation for CITES enforcement - education of plantation owners in best growing practices - better dialogue between all stakeholders


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2019-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Ahmedullah et al. (2019): Non-detriment_findings report on the red sanders tree (Pterocarpus santalinus, L.f.). Botanical survey of India (Deccan Regional Centre), Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Hyderabad

Date of record entry: 2023-09-13