Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santilinus)

Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santilinus)

 Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santilinus) is an endangered tree species endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats. Red Sanders has constantly been in the news over the recent years for its smuggling in the Sheshachalam hill region.

☘Habitat
Red Sanders is found in the forests with climate forest type in the tropical forests in India.

The natural habitat of Red Sanders is a hilly region with a hot, dry climate.

☘Concern
In recent years, it has been found that the species population is depleting at an alarming rate, so much so that it is under threat of losing is existence.


Red Senders usage and properties
Red sanders yield a hard fragrant timber and are prized for cabinet works, musical instruments, house posts and agricultural implements.


Note: wood is not categorized as aromatic because the timber is not intensely fragrant.
The dark red heartwood is used as a dyewood.

The wood enriched in 'Santalin' is also ground and used for dyeing cotton, wool, and leather.
The bark extract is used in the treatment of diabetes
.
The felling of trees and depletion of the species (Pterocarpus santilinus) is due to its usage in one of India's Critically Endangered medicinal species.
Red Sanders depletion causes
Illicit felling

Recurrent forest fires
Mutated regeneration in vulnerable pockets of distribution



☘Red Sanders Environment Impact
Found across the southern Eastern Ghats, Red Sanders growth is restricted to the hilly, deciduous forest region and endemic to several districts of Andhra Pradesh like Palakonda, Seshachalam and some parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

☘Red Sanders is an endangered tree and endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats with high ecological importance.
Red Sanders Conservation Status

☘Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) was listed as an Endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

As the overexploitation for Red Sanders' timber rose over the years in southern India, it was reclassified as 'Near Threatened' in 2018.


Red Sanders is also granted protection as it is enlisted in Appendix II of the CITES. This means that a certificate is required to export it.


Note: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) od wild fauna and flora is an international agreement between governments. CITES aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild plant and animals does not pose a threat to the species' survival.

☘Govt. Measures to curb illicit felling
Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System can be effectively utilized to understand Red Sanders bearing forest for objectives of conservation, tree improvement and legal commerce.


☘After mapping the Red Sanders habitats using multitemporal satellite data is complete, conservation plans are drawn for future sustainable utilization.