Supporting sandalwood sourcing communities
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Responding to the needs within communities and using our expertise as a force for good allows us to improve lives through projects that support a variety of topics linked to wellbeing and livelihoods.
The Givaudan Foundation, as an example, financially supports a transformative, collaborative sourcing initiative built around the iconic perfumery ingredient sandalwood. Working with an Australian Foundation, it supports the Aboriginal communities that steward and harvest the native variety Santalum spicatum from naturally occurring forests in the Western Australia desert.
The sandalwood sourced from this region is part of an ancient ecosystem that had been sustainably managed by Aboriginal groups for thousands of years. Historical events disrupted Indigenous Australians’ connection to the land, resulting in a loss of essential knowledge and skills in sustainable land management that had been passed down through generations.
With a focus on the Martu Aboriginal community, the project includes a ranger training programme that combines traditional knowledge with modern land management techniques.
Safeguarding biodiversity and economic value
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Safeguarding biodiversity and economic value
Adapted to withstand drought conditions, sandalwood trees are characterised by slow growth, taking at least 50 years to reach a harvestable size.
Without careful management, this renewable resource, and the associated economic value for Aboriginal people, could be lost. Sourcing sandalwood provides the local community with vital economic and cultural connections.
The sandalwood ranger trainee programme provided two weeks of intensive training for community members to learn to assess sandalwood for management and cultivation purposes. The participants of the first phase which happened in 2022 were taught skills such as measuring the height and width of trees, counting dead and green wood, determining where to plant new seeds and monitoring their growth.
Ranger trainees also learned about the history and importance of sandalwood to Martu people as well as the importance of protecting sandalwood from wild animals and illegal harvesting.
The programme, and the professional training it provides, is creating a knowledgeable and skilled workforce to support Aboriginal-led sandalwood enterprises, showcasing Aboriginal capabilities in traditional ecological knowledge, programme design, and delivery.
The project’s benefits include the development of a sustainable sandalwood management plan that addresses needs such as managing wildfire threats, increasing income for participating rangers and harvesters and enhanced wellbeing and dignity for people working on their ancestral lands. Project outputs were shared with the state government, leading to increased visibility and government support as well as operating licences for the Aboriginal management of sandalwood in this underserved part of the country.
Cultural heritage is also central to the Givaudan Foundation’s project. To this end, the Foundation financed the creation of a film highlighting Martu culture and their stewardship of the land. With the Martu community as the primary intended audience, the film reinforces the importance of cultural continuity within the community. In this way, we can help ensure that traditional Martu knowledge and the importance of sandalwood conservation is preserved and passed on to the coming generations.