It take years to grow a matured tree but people would have chopped it down within minutes. Today, poachers are well-entrenched within the forests for one very lucrative reason: gaharu  ….. where its deadly enemy is human beings.

Syndicated gangs, often of Thai, Vietnamese or Myanmarese origins, scour the jungle for months in search of Aquilaria malaccensis and the fragrant resin sometimes infused within the heartwood of this tree species. The presence of the resin is, however, unpredictable as it occurs only as an immune response to injury or pathogenic infection.

There are many names for it – gaharu, agarwood or oudh. Its etymology can be traced back to ancient times when gaharu, thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word agaru, was found in and traded from India. It was one of the most sought-after substances in China during the tenth century, and direct exports to the Middle East began sometime in the ninth century.

Damaged: Poachers have chipped off this agarwood tree in the forest near the Penang Botanic Gardens to see if it has been impregnated with the fragrant resin.

Most syndicate-hires lack the skill to distinguish a karas containing gaharu from one that does not. So the poachers hack down every agarwood tree, leaving a trail of unnecessary devastation in their wake.

Decades of relentless harvesting have caused the tree to become increasingly difficult to find. Perhaps, that is why poachers are more brazen now. A 30m-high karas tree was felled close to the Penang Botanic Gardens. The pillaging of gaharu raises wide-ranging issues: illegal collectors armed with axes and M16 rifles not only endanger wildlife but put unarmed wildlife enforcement officers at risk. The illegal trade also bleeds profit from our gross domestic product – exactly how much is lost from royalties and export tax remains unknown.

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Gaharu thieves’ mini village was the perfect hideout

16 Nov 2012, GEORGE TOWN: A group of agarwood tree (gaharu) thieves set up four large camps deep inside a jungle near Mount Erskine to cleverly hide their location from view.

Their “mini village” had a kitchen, a storage place and a workshop to process the agarwood.

It was a perfect hideout until the state Forestry Department officers busted it on Monday.

A stockpile of food comprising some 10kg of rice, cooking oil, canned food and vegetables enough to last several people for at least two weeks was confiscated.

Department officers visited the site again yesterday and recovered several pieces of low quality agarwood.

“We believe the higher quality ones were sold earlier,” said state Forestry Department director Abdul Wahab Deraman.

Two Cambodians were arrested during the ambush on Monday while two others managed to flee the scene.

Two large pieces of agarwood, believed to be worth between RM50,000 and RM100,000, were also seized in Monday’s raid.

According to veteran hiker Gurdial Singh, even regular hikers and mountain bikers had not stumbled upon the “hideout”.

“Access to their mini village’ is via an undiscovered path and you would have to go in from Point 8 on the hill behind the Mount Erskine wet market,” he said.

Gurdial tipped off the department on Sunday after coming across five felled trees while running near Taman Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah.

The oil from gaharu resin is highly prized in the Middle East and can fetch up to RM20,000 per kilo.

The oil is used as a base for perfumes due to its fresh and woody scent.

It is also used as a key ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for various ailments.

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