Historic drought threatens Ethiopia's vital myrrh trees and local livelihoods

In Ethiopia’s Somali region, myrrh trees—essential for luxury perfumes and traditional remedies—are under siege from an unprecedented drought. Local communities report the trees, once thriving in dense forests, are now struggling to produce resin as water shortages and overgrazing disrupt their fragile ecosystem. Researchers warn that young trees, critical to the future of this trade, are particularly vulnerable, with seedlings often uprooted by livestock and struggling to survive prolonged dry