Could AI help protect Malaysia’s precious gaharu trees?

Few woods are as prized for their scent as gaharu. Rich, smoky and intensely fragrant, it has been used for centuries in perfume, incense and religious traditions – and the finest pieces can command extraordinary prices.

But gaharu does not come from just any tree. In Malaysia, it is produced by several species including “Aquilaria malaccensis”, a native tree whose resin-rich wood forms after the plant is wounded, infected by fungi or otherwise stressed.

That rarity is part of what makes gaharu valuable, but it has also placed wild trees under considerable pressure. According to Malaysia’s biodiversity database, demand for agarwood – the international name for gaharu – continues to exceed supply, while illegal harvesting remains a threat to wild populations of “A malaccensis”.

Now, researchers and fragrance companies are exploring whether artificial intelligence and biotechnology could help reproduce some of the scents traditionally obtained from rare plants without repeatedly harvesting them.

According to a recent report in The Guardian, companies are using AI to analyse the relationship between molecules and the scents people perceive. One of these firms, Osmo, is developing systems that can predict how particular molecules will smell and help identify substitutes for difficult-to-source natural ingredients.

In one case, the company reportedly reproduced the scent of a rare tree after receiving only a small sample of bark. Other biotechnology firms are taking a different approach, growing plant cells in laboratories so fragrance compounds can be produced without repeatedly cutting material from wild plants.

Agarwood is among the ingredients attracting interest because of the pressure created by global demand. The scent comes from resin that develops inside certain trees, rather than from ordinary healthy wood, which makes high-quality natural gaharu relatively scarce.

Why this matters in Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia is home to five recognised “Aquilaria” species, according to the forestry department, including “A malaccensis”, “A hirta” and “A microcarpa”. The department notes that gaharu forms when the tree responds to fungal infection, injury or pest attack by producing a fragrant oil that eventually hardens into resin.

Malaysia’s biodiversity database lists “A malaccensis” as Critically Endangered and “A hirta”, another local source of gaharu, as Vulnerable. International trade in “Aquilaria” species is also regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Plantations have been established to help meet demand, but cultivated trees do not always produce resin with the same qualities as wild sources. That helps explain why naturally produced gaharu can remain especially sought after even when farmed alternatives exist.

The idea of recreating rare scents in a laboratory sounds promising, but researchers and conservationists caution against assuming that synthetic fragrance will automatically protect threatened trees.

As The Guardian reported, demand for authentic natural ingredients may continue even when convincing substitutes become available. Replicating a scent also does nothing by itself to protect forests, stop illegal harvesting or preserve the wider ecosystems in which threatened plants grow.

Still, if AI and biotechnology can supply some of the fragrance compounds currently taken from vulnerable species, they could potentially reduce part of the pressure on wild populations.

For Malaysia’s gaharu trees, that would not replace conservation. But in a market where a rare scent can make a piece of wood enormously valuable, finding ways to create that aroma without cutting down another tree could become one useful part of the solution.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.