The increase in sandalwood thefts in recent years has put the species at risk. There is currently no effective solution to protect these valuable trees, which are prized for their fragrance and medicinal properties, giving them a significant commercial advantage over other trees. Many journals, like this one and this one have suggested use of Internet of Things (IoT) as one of the solutions to curb the problem.
Now, the Karnataka Forest Department has announced the implementation of advanced tracking technologies including barcodes and microchips to prevent the theft of sandalwood. The barcodes and microchips will enable the real time monitoring, inventory management and enhancing traceability ensuring that every tree can be accurately tracked throughout its lifecycle.
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre has instructed the forest department officials to prepare an action plan to safeguard sandalwood plantations through technology during a meeting with Karnataka Soap and Detergent Ltd (KSDL) earlier this week.
The minister suggested a workshop in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, University of Dharwad, to create more awareness about sandalwood cultivation among farmers.
“Sandalwood theft can be prevented with the help of technology. The forest department has already conducted such experiments that have yielded results. They have been instructed to explore microchipping and barcodes technology to safeguard trees”, said Khandre.
KSDL chairman Appaji Nadagouda said the company will donate INR 5 million to the department to raise sandal saplings. Nadagouda said that the company is ready to enter into an agreement with the department for the protection of sandal trees planted in the department’s plots and those inside forests.
The Karnataka government in November 2022 approved the Karnataka State Sandalwood Policy 2022, removing existing restrictions and allowing people to grow sandalwood on private land and sell the wood in the open market.
Prior to the policy, farmers had to register with the jurisdictional range forest offices to grow sandalwood.
