The Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act, a landmark protection law first introduced in 1995 by then CM J Jayalalithaa, expired in February 2025 without renewal, leaving the prized Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) exposed to risk. Initially enforced to preserve endangered and culturally vital heritage trees, the law was last extended in 2010 under CM M Karunanidhi. Despite no new law replacing it, environmentalists argue its absence threatens the slow-growing native species.
Found mainly in the Nilgiris—Anamalai, Mudumalai, and Gudalur—the Indian rosewood is revered by the Badaga tribal community, who call it kaalli mora or kale mora. To them, it’s not merely a tree but a sacred presence in their customs and ceremonies.
Environmental experts, including Nilgiri Documentation Centre’s Dharmalingam Venugopal, stress the Act was born out of necessity in 1994, when tea estates sought to axe thousands of mature trees under the guise of ‘shade management.’ Legal loopholes enabled felling until media pressure prompted the law’s creation.
However, Tamil Nadu’s top forest official, Srinivas R Reddy, claims the law discouraged cultivation and argues other existing regulations suffice. But critics counter that rosewood is hard to propagate, with slow growth and low germination. Former WGEEP member B J Krishnan warns lifting protections could fuel commercial logging in Janmam lands, where old-growth trees could fetch crores.
Experts call for a dedicated conservation act, likening rosewood’s importance to that of tigers or elephants in Indian wildlife policy.