BBC Learning English
Words in the News
Frankincense under threat, says study
26
th
December 2011
Words in the News
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
Researchers in the Netherlands say that frankincense, a significant item in the Christmas
story, faces an uncertain future. In the Journal of Applied Ecology, they warned that the
production of the fragrant substance could decline by half over the next 15 years. The
BBC's Victoria Gill reports:
Frankincense is burned in religious ceremonies throughout the world. The sweet-smelling
incense is produced from resin tapped from the Boswellia tree, which grows in the
drylands of Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
But this delicate tree is struggling to sustain itself.
The team monitored the survival and growth of more than 6,000 Boswellia trees in
Ethiopia. They used the data to model the changing population of the trees and
discovered that this was declining dramatically.
Tapping trees for resin doesn't affect their survival at all. Instead, young trees often fail
to get established as they're eaten by livestock or pushed out by faster-growing
species.
The scientists say that Boswellia plantations should be carefully protected for up to 10
years while the saplings mature. Measures like this could safeguard the future of a
product that's been traded since long before the time of the Christmas story.
Victoria Gill, BBC News
