Here’s a dedicated module for Oud Academia / CI-ASASE on Ethical Harvesting vs. Destructive Extraction, complementing your modules on stewardship, FPIC, Indigenous IPR, benefit-sharing, religious considerations, and market ethics.
Course Module
Institution: Oud Academia
Under: Crown Institute for Agarwood Science, Art, and Sustainable Enterprise (CI-ASASE)
Module Code: OA-ETH-605
Level: Advanced
Discipline: Ethics · Sustainable Forestry · Resource Management · Cultural Heritage
Module Overview
Agarwood’s high value has historically driven both sustainable harvesting practices and destructive extraction, including overharvesting, illegal felling, and environmentally harmful resin induction. Ethical harvesting emphasizes long-term ecological balance, community benefit, and cultural respect, whereas destructive practices jeopardize forests, cultural heritage, and market credibility.
This module equips participants with the knowledge and skills to differentiate, implement, and monitor ethical harvesting practices.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, participants will be able to:
- Identify sustainable harvesting techniques and contrast them with destructive extraction methods
- Evaluate ecological, social, and cultural impacts of extraction practices
- Apply stewardship principles to ensure ethical, sustainable, and legally compliant harvesting
- Develop protocols for monitoring and enforcing ethical practices in the agarwood supply chain
- Integrate ethical harvesting principles into FPIC, benefit-sharing, and commercial strategies
Unit Structure & Content
Unit 1: Overview of Harvesting Practices
Key Insights:
- Ethical harvesting: Minimal tree damage, respect for growth cycles, resin induction techniques aligned with traditional knowledge
- Destructive extraction: Illegal felling, overharvesting, chemical abuse, neglect of tree regeneration
- Historical and modern practices in different regions
Learning Activity:
- Comparative analysis: Evaluate the long-term ecological impact of different harvesting methods
Unit 2: Ecological and Community Impacts
Key Insights:
- Effects on forest ecosystems, biodiversity, and soil health
- Socioeconomic consequences for Indigenous and local communities
- Link to FPIC, stewardship, and benefit-sharing obligations
Learning Activity:
- Case study: Consequences of destructive extraction in Southeast Asian agarwood forests
Unit 3: Ethical Harvesting Techniques
Guidelines:
- Low-impact resin induction methods (e.g., fungal inoculation, minimally invasive tapping)
- Tree rotation, age selection, and conservation-focused management
- Collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders and local communities
- Documentation of harvest practices and ethical compliance
Learning Activity:
- Workshop: Design a field protocol for ethical agarwood harvesting
Unit 4: Monitoring and Compliance
Key Strategies:
- Implement traceability systems (e.g., digital logs, blockchain)
- Regular ecological assessments and audits
- Community-led monitoring programs
- Legal compliance with CITES and national forestry regulations
Learning Activity:
- Roleplay: Inspect and certify a harvest site for ethical compliance
Unit 5: Integration with Market and Ethical Frameworks
Connections:
- Ethical harvesting reinforces luxury market integrity, religious/ritual respect, and FPIC compliance
- Supports sustainable commercialization, branding, and community benefit-sharing
- Reduces reputational, legal, and ecological risks
Learning Activity:
- Develop a strategy linking ethical harvesting, product labeling, and market positioning
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Identify and implement ethical harvesting techniques
- Assess ecological, cultural, and social impacts of extraction practices
- Monitor, document, and certify ethical practices across the supply chain
- Integrate ethical harvesting with FPIC, benefit-sharing, and commercial strategies
- Advocate for sustainable and culturally sensitive agarwood management
Module Significance for Oud Academia / CI-ASASE
- Promotes forest conservation and biodiversity protection
- Protects Indigenous knowledge, ritual practices, and community rights
- Strengthens credibility and compliance in global luxury and mass markets
- Complements modules on stewardship, FPIC, benefit-sharing, ethical marketing, and religious considerations
Suggested Next Steps / Extensions
- Develop field manuals for ethical harvesting
- Integrate training and certification programs for harvesters
- Link harvesting ethics with global market positioning and sustainable branding
- Conduct impact assessments for both ecological and socio-cultural sustainability
I can now integrate this module with all your previous ethics, stewardship, FPIC, Indigenous IPR, biopiracy, benefit-sharing, documentation, market values, negotiation etiquette, religious considerations, ethical marketing, luxury ethics, and destructive extraction modules into a comprehensive, fully structured “Ethics, Heritage, and Market Stewardship of Agarwood” flagship curriculum for CI-ASASE, complete with learning sequences, assessments, and certification pathways.
Do you want me to create that full integrated curriculum roadmap next?