A. Species
Scientific name: Aquilaria malaccensis
Common name(s): Agarwood, Gaharu, Aloeswood, Eaglewood
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Critically Endangered
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Malaysia
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Malaysia
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1995
End Year: 2005
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural 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: Medicine and hygiene, Ceremony, religious, and ritual expression, Decorative and aesthetic and Aromatherapy, burnt offerings, incense.
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local 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
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: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study mentions that many studies have reported a reduction in natural populations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah, due to over-harvesting beyond legal quotas. Global demand prior to 1975 was specific to niche markets and harvesting was done selectively. Harvesting only became unsustainable when the price of gaharu escalated. A Selective Management System (SMS) was formulated in 1978 to recognize the importance of a balance between sustainability of harvesting with long-term conservation. It was also designed to achieve sustainability of harvest with minimum development costs and optimise harvesting under prevailing conditions. However, this plan is often ignored or exceeded by illegal harvesters.
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: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The value of gaharu is mentioned as the main motivator for (illegal) harvesting, but this exploitation is implicitly unsustainable when it exceeds quotas.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This CITES NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Th report mentions that there are inherent difficulties in attempting to regulate harvesting activities undertaken by indigenous communities and foreign collectors. In view of the lucrative nature of the trade personnel from enforcement agencies have also been implicated in illegal agarwood trading.
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
Current procedures to control harvesting, manufacturing and trade need to be reviewed for effective monitoring. As different agencies are tasked with managing the same forested areas where agarwood occurs, a coordinated approach towards monitoring is crucial.
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
By Lillian Swee Lian Chua
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 1 – Trees
CASE STUDY 3
Aquilaria malaccensis
Country – MALAYSIA
Date of record entry: 2023-09-27