ESO marks Oman Tree Day with a publication celebrating Frankincense

As the nation today celebrates Oman Tree Day, the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) in collaboration with the Environment Authority and with funding from the British Embassy in Muscat has published an infographic celebrating Oman’s native frankincense species, Boswelia scara. The infographic highlights important information about Boswelia scara, including ecological information as well as key threats and necessary conservation actions. The full infographic is available for download (www.esofundraiser.com/resources).

Boswellia sacra, a species of frankincense native to Oman, Yemen and Northern Somalia, is considered to produce a fine quality resin. A population assessment of Boswellia sacra was last completed over 20 years ago in 1998, giving it a Near Threatened status on the IUCN Red List.

The infographic published today, forms part of a wider programme funded by the British Embassy in Muscat which also saw a field team from ESO, in collaboration with the Environment Authority, Wageningen University & Research, FairSource Botanicals LLC, and Mendel University in Brno undertake a three-month survey of the Boswellia sacra trees in Dhofar to help support an updated population and distribution assessment.

Suaad al Harthi, Executive Director of ESO, said, “Frankincense, also known as Luban, plays an integral part in the Omani heritage and culture and has been a main source of income for Dhofari communities for centuries. The funding provided by the British Embassy has allowed us to undertake important survey work enabling us to map the distribution of frankincense trees in Dhofar while also establishing permanent study sites to evaluate the long-term population ecology. This also means we can assess the threats to the species and engage with local stakeholders to build local capacity to survey and protect the trees in the future.”

His Excellency Bill Murray, British Ambassador to Oman, said “It is our pleasure to support Environment Society of Oman’s efforts to conserve Oman’s frankincense trees. Frankincense is an essential part of Omani heritage and culture. We all need be aware of its vulnerability and the steps we can take to ensure its survival”.

Conservation of Boswellia sacra will continue to be a central focus for the work of ESO. Moving forward, the team will be working closely with the Environment Authority to recommend a variety of approaches for conserving these unique trees, including targeted research to further elucidate population dynamics, potential impacts of climate change, and social drivers of tree management.