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Centuries-old frankincense trade faces collapse
The aromatic resin, a staple of religious rituals and the booming wellness industry, is at risk as wild Boswellia trees in the Horn of Africa suffer from overharvesting, climate change, and economic pressures. Harvesters like Salaban Salad Muse, who depend on the resin for their livelihood, warn of an uncertain future.
The life of a frankincense harvester
Salaban Salad Muse, a seasoned harvester from Dayaha in Somaliland, spends three to six months each year tending to Boswellia trees on his family's land. His daily routine involves inspecting trees for pests, clearing sand, and nurturing seedlings. However, the sustainability of this tradition is now in jeopardy.
Frankincense, derived from the resin of Boswellia trees, has been traded globally for millennia. It remains a cornerstone of the $5.6 trillion wellness industry and is integral to religious ceremonies, including Catholic rituals. Yet, the very trees that produce this prized resin are under severe strain.
Overharvesting and environmental threats
Boswellia trees, known for their hardy nature and sparse foliage, are tapped for resin by making incisions in their bark. Traditionally, this process was done sparingly, but economic pressures and rising global demand have led to excessive tapping, causing long-term damage. A 2022 report found that trees can take over a decade to recover from such harm.
Climate change and pest outbreaks, such as the wood-boring beetle, further exacerbate the problem. A 2019 study in Nature revealed that over 75% of B. papyrifera populations in Ethiopia and Sudan lack young trees, with natural regeneration absent for decades due to grazing, fires, and reckless harvesting. The study projected a 50% decline in frankincense production within 20 years.
"Frankincense is surely threatened," says Anjanette DeCarlo, founder of the Save The Frankincense project. "It all depends on the main threats within each location, such as grazing by camels, extensive tapping, extreme weather, and mining."
Anjanette DeCarlo, Save The Frankincense
Economic pressures and market inequalities
The global frankincense market, valued at $363 million in 2023 and projected to exceed $700 million by 2032, is dominated by wild trees rather than cultivated ones. Somaliland, home to two prized Boswellia species, exports at least 1,000 tonnes annually, yet harvesters receive only a fraction of the final price.
Andy Thornton, a frankincense market expert, explains that harvesters in Somaliland earn just $2-5 per kg of resin, while Western suppliers sell it for $60-100 per kg. Political instability and informal supply chains leave harvesters vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen.
"The people who are doing the exporting price are those who have enough money to aggregate the supply chains and take the risk," says Thornton.
Andy Thornton, Silvan Ingredient Ecosystem
Innovative solutions for sustainability
Efforts to create a more sustainable frankincense trade are underway. Stephen Johnson, director of FairSource Botanicals and Dayaxa Frankincense Export Company (DFEC), is developing a traceability system using mobile apps to map supply chains and monitor tree health. Since 2023, DFEC has registered over 8,000 harvesters and 3,000 trees, purchasing 7 tonnes of resin through its platform.
The system includes a traceability app for logging resin batches and a tree health app for monitoring growth and incisions. Harvesters can also receive payments via mobile wallets like Zad, improving financial inclusion.
"Verifiable, data-driven traceability empowers the people who directly manage the trees," says DeCarlo. "It gives buyers an opportunity to invest sustainably."
Anjanette DeCarlo
Calls for global action
Despite these advances, experts argue that demand for sustainable frankincense must grow. DeCarlo suggests that the Catholic Church, which accounts for 5% of the global trade, could leverage its influence to promote ethical sourcing.
"It almost makes me a little emotional imagining the pope making a statement or initiative because of how much of an impact that could have," she says. "It would have ripple effects."
Anjanette DeCarlo
Frans Bongers, a forest ecology professor, praises the traceability app but notes that long-term monitoring comes at a cost. He emphasizes the need for broader market engagement to ensure the survival of Boswellia trees and the communities that depend on them.
