West Australia’s $40m native sandalwood industry risks collapse, industry groups warn

Members of West Australia’s $40-million native sandalwood industry have warned it could collapse under the weight of increased market supply and overharvesting of wild stocks.

Each year 2,500 tonnes of the wild or Australian native sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, is harvested from predominately semi-arid and arid rangelands areas of WA.

It is one of the state’s oldest exports, dating back to 1844, and is prized for its oil and by the agarbatti, or incense,…