Somalia: The Disappearing Frankincense Forests

28 December 2016

Even before the Wise men gave frankincense as a gift, people were climbing the rugged Somaliland mountains in search of the precious resin. But rising global demand is threatening the ancestral forests where it is found.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh - the gifts offered to baby Jesus by the three wise men, so goes the story of the nativity, according to the Bible. Even today, frankincense remains a precious Christmastime gift - but the reality behind its harvest differs somewhat.

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