{"id":322,"date":"2026-04-11T06:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T06:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=322"},"modified":"2026-04-11T06:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T06:23:02","slug":"the-myrrh-tree-thats-key-to-luxury-perfumes-and-african-incomes-is-threatened-by-drought-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=322","title":{"rendered":"The myrrh tree that\u2019s key to luxury perfumes and African incomes is threatened by drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stephen Johnson and Sam Osborn, bottom, measure a Commiphora myrrha tree during what is called ecological transects, measuring a quadrant, counting the number of trees, measuring their trunk, crowns, as well as health on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Dharaaye, Ethiopia. (AP Photo\/Julianne Gauron)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-04-11T04:01:57Z<\/p>\n

AFCADDE, Ethiopia (AP) \u2014 The critical note in some of the world\u2019s most well-known perfumes is myrrh, a tree resin from the Horn of Africa that is under pressure from what experts call a historic drought<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Threatened by the lack of water and nibbled by starving livestock, the trees that once formed a dense forest in the Somali region of Ethiopia<\/a><\/span> are in danger, locals say.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, researchers supported by the American Herbal Products Association visited a source of the prized resin that makes its way to global markets from some of the most vulnerable places on earth.<\/p>\n

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Children seeking water bring their donkey cart to a well, dug into the bottom of what should be a lake, surrounded by thorny brush to prevent livestock from falling in Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Afcadde, Ethiopia. (AP Photo\/Julianne Gauron)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p><\/figure>\n