Could AI help protect Malaysia’s precious gaharu trees?

But gaharu does not come from just any tree. In Malaysia, it is produced by several species including “Aquilaria malaccensis”, a native tree whose resin-rich wood forms after the plant is wounded, infected by fungi or otherwise stressed.

That rarity is part of what makes gaharu valuable, but it has also placed wild trees under considerable pressure. According to Malaysia’s biodiversity database, demand for agarwood – the international name for gaharu – continues to exceed supply, while illegal harvesting remains a threat to wild populations of “A malaccensis”.

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