Domestication, restoration and sustainable use of Indonesian sandalwood

ABSTRACT

This review provides a comprehensive overview of sandalwood (Santalum album) domestication and restoration in Indonesia. Sandalwood is a valuable tree species native to East Nusa Tenggara (ENT) Province and naturalised in Gunungkidul (Yogyakarta Special Province) and Aceh Province. It has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, perfumery and religious ceremonies. The heartwood of the tree is the most valuable part and is used to extract oil, which has a unique fragrance and is used in the perfume industry. Sandalwood trade has a long history in ENT and has been an important source of income for local communities. However, overexploitation and illegal logging have caused the species to become vulnerable, leading the local government to ban trade in sandalwood. To address the issue of illegal logging, sandalwood conservation and domestication programs have been established involving the planting of sandalwood trees in managed plantations. Genetic conservation and breeding of sandalwood with high santalol quality is an important strategy to support the development of seed sources and ensure the sustainable use of the species. Individuals with high santalol content have been identified and propagated by grafting and micropropagation. Accelerating the sandalwood domestication strategy will involve a range of activities, including the reintroduction of sandalwood seeds from Gunungkidul to ENT, intensive planting programs and the expansion of sandalwood cultivation to other areas. Research is needed on sandalwood in Indonesia to provide insights into the conservation, cultivation and sustainable management of this important tree species. In conclusion, sandalwood is a commercially important tree species in Indonesia. The Indonesian Government is working to ensure the sustainability of this valuable resource by planting sandalwood trees, preserving seed sources and regulating the trade in sandalwood products.

KEYWORDS:

• Santalum album
• sandalwood
• essential oil
• heartwood production
• propagation
• regeneration

Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

L.H., A.I.P., N.K.K., A.N., S.S., T.H., F.L. and A.R. contributed in conceptualisation, writing-original draft preparation, writing-review and editing, visualisation, supervision and project administration. All authors played an equal role as main contributors in discussing the conceptual ideas and the outline, providing critical feedback for each section, and writing the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.