A significant drought is causing the resin from the myrrh tree to be under serious threat because of the conditions in the Horn of Africa, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The resin is a key ingredient in many of the world’s most expensive perfumes. Due to the lack of water and being eaten by thirsty animals, the forest that the trees made up has dwindled. 

Earlier this year, some researchers traveled to the region with the goal to make sure that the people who harvest the resign get paid directly to ensure that the middleman gets less of the money. The myrrh is hand harvested, the traditional method, as a result that raises its price, but those doing the actual work see very little money. They can receive $3.50 to $10 for collecting a kilogram (2.2 pounds). Despite the very little payment, brands that use the product in perfume sell their bottles for as much as $500 a bottle. 

The researchers found that the communities that were still using the traditional method of harvesting by using the trees’ natural wounds protects the trees, in comparison to making deliberate cuts in the trees which makes them more susceptible to disease and pests.

The team is worried because the annual rainfall has been decreasing for several years, other than in 2023 where the area had horrible flooding. There have always been devastating droughts but this one in particular is historic and the experts say this one is because of climate change. Without a good rain, young trees are likely to fail, and there is a possibility that the adult trees will eventually die. 

Residents in the area spend their days lugging water for their families and animals. They will travel 125 miles to the Sanqotor village to get water from a rare well with water. When the residents finally arrive back home they give water to their animals first then their families, because their animals are what provide them an income. 

But, not everyone has animals to make money off of, some of the poorest people rely on tree resin as their sole source of income. It is concerning to locals  that without change, both myrrh trees and the communities that depend on myrrh could be facing an uncertain future.