A public consultation process to obtain feedback on the draft Santalum spicatum (Sandalwood) Biodiversity Management Programme was conducted from 31 October 2022 to 23 December 2022. Submissions are now closed.
All submissions received during the public comment period are being considered in the development of a final plan, scheduled for release in 2023. A summary of submissions will be made available along with the final Sandalwood Biodiversity Management Programme (BMP).
The Sandalwood BMP will commit to consulting, partnering and empowering Traditional Owners in on-Country sandalwood management and joint land management. This is ongoing in finalising and implementing the BMP.
More information is available by emailing sandalwood@dbca.wa.gov.au.
Santalum spicatum (Sandalwood) is Western Australia’s native aromatic sandalwood species that grows wild among vegetation of the Wheatbelt and rangelands.
In the last 200 years, sandalwood occurrences have variably, and in some cases, significantly changed. This is most apparent throughout the Wheatbelt where extensive agricultural clearing has reduced wild sandalwood occurrence to fragmented populations within conservation reserves and remnant native vegetation on private property.
While sandalwood still broadly occurs across the rangelands and deserts, population condition varies considerably due to cumulative impacts associated with pest and feral species, lawful and unlawful take, grazing, altered fire regimes and climate change.
The State Government recognises how ecologically important and valuable our sandalwood populations are and is committed to protecting and sustaining this remarkable species for many generations to come.
This first Santalum spicatum (Sandalwood) Biodiversity Management Programme (Sandalwood BMP) will set out how Western Australia’s wild sandalwood will be conserved, protected and managed. The Sandalwood BMP will outline processes for its ecologically sustainable use now and into the future, consistent with the requirements of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
The Sandalwood BMP will apply to the management of wild sandalwood on both Crown and private lands across Western Australia and will not apply to plantation sandalwood.
*The use of the spelling 'Programme' has been retained for consistency with the sandalwood-related terminology used in the Biodiversity Conservation Act.