Somaliland’s frankincense trade under threat

After livestock, the frankincense trade is the largest source of revenue in Somaliland. But harvesting frankincense is not an easy task: harvesters must climb to rocky hillsides and cliff edges as well as deal with venomous snakes, among other threats.

Frankincense tapper Musse Ismail Hassan learnt the profession from his father and grandfather. He admits it is a risky job, but he regrets he has no other option. In the picture, he is resting in a cave in a canyon near Gudmo, in Somaliland.

Tappers wear special - but homemade - clothes to keep the sticky frankincense resin away from their skin and shoes. It’s important to keep in mind that Somaliland suffers a harsh drought together with other areas of the Horn of Africa region and, in addition, it has a high rate of poverty - even though lower than the rest of Somalia.

The process from harvesting to selling frankincense involves entire families. After the collection, women sort raw frankincense gum by color and size. In European shops you will probably find frankincense already separated: Pinkish, brownish, grayish, yellowish... This shows how much work it requires to reach you.

These two large chunks of frankincense resin are part of a variety called “maydi”. It is considered to be superior to other sorts and is therefore the most expensive. The majority is exported to Saudi Arabia, where it is highly appreciated as chewing gum.

Harvesters must wound the bark of the trees to collect the precious resin. The current high demand is leading to over-tapping, preventing the tree from healing fast enough and weakening it. With so many wounds unable to heal, more insects are attracted to the tree, which could finally die.

Mohammed Ahmed Ali seeks resine under the frankincense branch, like many other men in the area. The price for a kilo of raw frankincense has shot up and no one wants to miss the opportunity.

Frankincense harvesters have to daily face harsh conditions in the Cal Madow mountains of Somaliland, but it could worsen. With such global demand, prices and competitiveness increase, meaning that healthy trees become scarcer and harder to find. The frankincense trade has never been an easy one, but if measures are not taken, the current threat could become a heartbreaking reality.

Once in the market, the hardened resin is used for religious celebrations, as a remedy for infections, for perfumes and even to alleviate anxiety and depression - but in most of the cases the final user will not know anything about the source. Checking it could be a good idea to boost sustainable harvesting from home.