Thap Lan National Park (TLNP), part of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the Vulnerable Thailand Rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), a slow-growing species that reaches heights of 25-30m and displays a specific ability to enhance forest conditions and soil fertility.
This hardwood timber species is, however, increasingly sought after for decorative furniture and luxury flooring. The high value of rosewood, varying from US$6,000 per cubic meter on international trade markets to US$50,000 on the Chinese black market, has fueled a rapid increase in rosewood poaching, reaching epidemic levels in TLNP. Groups of over 30 armed and violent rosewood poachers are laying siege to the park’s rosewood, also poaching wildlife and threatening the lives of enforcement rangers. Lacking equipment, patrol provisions and training, the TLNP staff has been unable to safely quell this severe threat.
Only 80,000-100,000 trees were estimated to remain in the country in 2011, making the current poaching boom all the more worrying. The disappearance of other species of rosewood has been observed to cause long-term ecological damage, such as allowing the proliferation of invasive plants and leading to a reduction in local biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Economically, the species’ local extinction would deprive rural communities from a potentially sustainable income source.