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Researchers warn that Boswellia trees, which are tapped to make frankincense, are declining at a troubling rate.
Researchers warn that Boswellia trees, which are tapped to make frankincense, are declining at a troubling rate.
Tapped from various species of the Boswellia tree that grow in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, frankincense has been traded internationally for thousands of years. However, researchers warn that the trees are declining at a troubling rate.
Ecologists from the Netherlands and Ethiopia monitored Boswellia trees growing in 13 plots of about 65 acres (2 hectares) each located in northwest Ethiopia, near the source of the Blue Nile river. The plots contained trees that were tapped for frankincense, as well as some that were left untapped. The researchers studied the survival, growth and seed production of more than 6,000 Boswellia trees over the course of two years.
Based on their finding, the researchers created demographic models to predict the fate of Boswellia populations. They estimate that the production of frankincense could drop to half over the next 15 years, and the number of Boswellia trees could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years.
