ABOUT
Get to Know Save Frankincense
ABOUT
Save Frankincense
Save Frankincense is a conservation and research project aiming to protect the Cal Madow forests and the frankincense economy. The Cal Madow, which literally means “black mountains”, is a range of mountains in the north of Somaliland, a country that is primarily arid savannah to desert ecosystem. The Cal Madow is an uplifted limestone escarpment that rises up to 2,460 meters above sea level, stretching from eastern Somaliland to western Puntland. The mountains receive high levels of rainfall and ocean mists, and as a result are covered in thick forest that harbors high levels of biodiversity. The Cal Madow is unique–there is nowhere else on earth like it.
About
The Cal Madow
The Cal Madow and its surroundings are also home to Boswellia carterii and Boswellia frereana, two species of trees that produce frankincense resin. Communities here have been tapping these trees for thousands of years, and today they supply some of the best quality resin and essential oil on the market. The trade of frankincense resin is key to the ecology of the Cal Madow, and is an African cultural legacy.
However, the mountains today are under threat. Increasing international demand and a growing population has put pressure on frankincense harvesters to cut trees at unsustainable levels. Over-cutting, along with drought and an increasing number of pests is causing the trees in some areas to decline and die at alarming rates. In addition to the frankincense tree decline, the forests are cut for charcoal production and timber, and mining operations threaten to pollute the water supply. Furthermore, the forests are under increasing stress as climate change alters the patterns of rainfall and oceanic mists upon which the forests depend.
We are working with a diverse group of governmental, academic, corporate, and private partners to address these threats. We are working to protect the Cal Madow forests and ensure a fair and sustainable frankincense economy.
