Prolific or precarious: a review of the status of Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum [R.Br.] A.DC., Santalaceae)

Across its entire range in Australia’s western and southern rangelands, Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum [R.Br.] A.DC.) is on a path towards ‘extinction the wild’––the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s penultimate category conservation risk. Sandalwood populations have substantially diminished or become locally extinct, predominantly consequence land clearing agriculture, introduced grazers, disruption key ecological processes (e.g. seed dispersal, fire regimes) 175 years intensive commercial exploitation fragrant, high value timber. The status world’s last wild-harvested species significant to both rangeland management, implementation science-based sustainable yield approach management this vital. By highlighting scale precipitous rate decline identifying drivers affecting mortality recruitment, review outlines restoration needs situ conserve remaining wild populations, need transition resource actions such as farm-based plantation production.