Fading Fragrance

It is the tree that imparts fragrance to the axe that cuts it. The sandalwood tree (Santalum album), also known as the East Indian sandal, is the pride of Karnataka. The tree, which was once found in great abundance in the forests of the State, has now become endangered, thanks to extensive logging of the trees in their natural habitats, illicit felling, government policy and corrupt Forest department officials. But a new amendment to the Karnataka Forest Act promises a ray of hope to this fragrant tree.

Chandana, the Sanskrit name for sandal, has been used in India from historic times. There are descriptions of the use of sandalwood by Kalidasa (300 BC) in some of his epics. The heartwood and oil is much sought after world over for its heavenly fragrance and has several uses for religious purposes, handicrafts, medicines and perfumes.

Though the tree is widely distributed throughout India, about 90 per cent of the trees are present in the deciduous forests of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, the tree is found in the southern belt, including the districts of Shimoga, Mysore, Coorg, Kolar, Bangalore, Chikmagalur, Tumkur and Dakshina Kannada. The huge demand for sandalwood has fuelled severe exploitation of the trees in its natural areas.

According to studies, the annual average extraction of sandalwood in the State between 1952 and 1973 was about 2,276 tonnes. But the extraction rate between 1975 to 1996 had come down to 1,080 tonnes. The figures may be a reflection of the depleting resource, possibly driven due to higher rates of extraction and land use change. Similarly, there was a reduction of sandalwood supplied to sandal-based industries and artisans.

Apart from extraction in natural areas, illicit felling and smuggling has been another major threat to the tree. Between 1980 and 1997, about 100 to 500 tonnes of sandal have been recovered annually amounting to about 30 per cent of the State's revenue from sandalwood. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, as estimates show that the recovery might be just about 10-20 per cent of the sandal illicitly felled. But this has not been without its effects.

A study on sandalwood trees in the Biligri Rangan Temple Wildlife Sanctuary by Nageshwara Rao M, Ganeshaiah K N and Uma Shaanker of University of Agricultural Sciences and Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment (ATREE) shows that the genetic diversity among sandalwood trees has been reduced due to indiscriminate felling. This may be true for the rest of the State.

Illicit felling in the State continues despite control by the State government. Tipu Sultan first declared the tree as a royal tree in 1792. After Independence, the governments in the State continued the monopoly over the tree through the Karnataka Forest Act. In Karnataka, the tree is a state property and its extraction, distribution and cultivation are strictly regulated by the government.

Prior to the amendment of the Karnataka Forest Act, all the sandalwood trees belonged to the government, even if grown by a private individual in his land. So not many took up growing this tree. Alarmed by the declining population of the tree in the State, the government amended the Act in August 2001 its growing of the tree by private individuals.

The amendment has brought in a substantive change in the status of the sandal tree possessor. Earlier, the grower of the tree was just a custodian, but now he is almost an owner of the tree. Previously, a sandalwood tree grower was entitled to monetary claims as decided by the government, but as per the amendment, he can also carry a number of activities that include felling and processing of sandalwood in accordance with the rules. This has been made to ensure that the grower has more stake in growing the tree.

The de-regulation is a good move in the first stage of conservation of the tree. But the law could have been more pro-active. It, in a way, shows clear signs of the State withdrawing its functions in relation to the sandal tree conservation. One pro-active measure that the State could take up is to give technical assistance to private individuals or groups for growing these trees says M K Ramesh, assistant professor, National Law School of India University. The duties of the Forest department are not explicitly stated in the amendment and is poorly drafted, as it has not even stated the objectives, he adds.

The new amendment has given more teeth to the Act by making the penalty related to sandalwood tree offences harsher. The government would do well to make the sandalwood laws much simpler than the earlier one. It should also encourage the public to grow the tree through mass campaigns, establish sandal tree gene banks and enforce the law strictly.

Sandalwood or scandal wood?

The upholders of the law, the forest officials, also have had their share in worsening the situation. The latest report of the Public Accounts Committee relating to the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment has this to say: In contravention to the directives of the Government in 1987 to conduct a State-wide census of sandalwood trees at divisional and circle levels, such an evaluation has not been taken up by the Forest department till date.

The committee has observed that the price for sandalwood is higher in neighbouring states. This difference resulted in large scale illegal felling and smuggling of sandal to other states. For the period from 1991-92 to 1994-95, a short receipt of sandalwood valued at Rs 46.73 lakh relating to 93 cases covering 16 Forest divisions has been reported. The committee also noted that there was a shortage of 153 tonnes of sandalwood valued at Rs 2.45 crore in the Forest Department depots as per the stock accounts.

This article appeared in the Deccan Herald Newspaper on 31st May, 2002