WA’s native sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) is a beautiful, slow growing, hemi-parasitic small tree or shrub that used to grow extensively across southern WA and into South Australia (not to be confused with ‘Indian sandalwood’). For Traditional Owners, sandalwood provided a huge variety of benefits including ceremonial, medicinal and nutritional and had at least 15 Indigenous names across its extensive range.
Unfortunately, soon after European occupation, large-scale commercial exploitation of sandalwood took off, with historical photos showing mountains of sandalwood awaiting export from Fremantle to Asia and beyond.
Since the 1840s the unsustainable exploitation of WA sandalwood has been relentless and it continues today, although at much smaller volumes because the species has been wiped out across much of its original range.
Today, the exploitation of WA sandalwood in the wild is carried out by the Forest Products Commission (FPC) under licence from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). The FPC hires contractors to uproot whole mature sandalwood trees, over 30,000 in total per annum, as confirmed by questions in Parliament. The FPC calls this ‘harvesting’ but it is a one-off mining operation.
Numerous studies have shown there is little or no regeneration of sandalwood in the wild due to a combination of climate change, fires, introduced herbivores and loss of native mammals such as the woylie, which used to help the species germinate. Effective regeneration of sandalwood takes money, time and care, which the FPC lacks.
In 2021 WA sandalwood was placed on the IUCN international threatened species list, the ‘Red List’, a listing that followed a review by five scientists including two former senior DBCA scientists.
The current government-approved wild-take quota for sandalwood is set at 2,500 tonnes per annum (tpa), with up to 1,250 tpa of ‘green’ sandalwood (coming from the uprooting of whole live trees), and the rest dead wood. The quota period expires at the end of 2026.
DBCA has now commenced a process to review the wild sandalwood quota and make a recommendation to the Minister for Environment on the next 10 years’ exploitation.
After almost 200 years of destruction it is time to prioritise conservation over exploitation. The wild sandalwood quota needs to be reduced to an ecologically sustainable level. The recognition of native title rights and interests in the desert and across the rangelands has created an opportunity for Traditional Owners to access, take and use resources, including sandalwood and manage their country in a culturally grounded, sustainable way. Sandalwood is an economic opportunity for First Nations enterprises such as Dutjahn Custodians, Sandalwood Dreaming harvestors and communities like Kutkabubba, Yilka and native title groups. Traditional Owner enterprises should be licensed to take and use wild sandalwood and ensure regeneration on their lands. Proceeds from Traditional Owner-based Sandalwood enterprises can contribute to addressing socio-economic disadvantage, creating jobs, invest in seeding and renewing long term growth of wild sandalwood. This is best done directly between Traditional Owners and DBCA. There is no longer any defensible role for the FPC and it should cease to have any involvement in wild sandalwood.
Written by Peter Robertson
If you would like to know more, please add your details to the form to be put in contact with the Save Our Sandalwood Network.
WA Sandalwood fruit and foliage. (FPC)
Sandalwood mountain awaiting export from Fremantle, early 1900’s. (Battye Library)