Illegal harvesting of precious woods continues due to the high demand for wood and the difficulties of law enforcement and identifying stolen goods. Timber identification is one of the ways to combat illegal logging, but it requires knowledge of the various characteristics of shrubs - a challenge when the various species of shrubs look alike and lack easily identifiable parts such as leaves, flowers and fruits. To address these challenges, three researchers led a US Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) in Peru, Madagascar and Indonesia.

These researchers have each teamed up with scientists from the US Forest Service to develop tools to assist private and public organisations in conservation and identification to effectively combat illegal logging. For Madagascar, Dr Bako Harisoa Ravaomanalina from the University of Antananarivo collected wood samples from eight regions of Madagascar, resulting in a library of 4,500 wood specimens at its inauguration in 2020.The wood library serves as a reference to increase the accuracy of identification of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for scientists, private companies and government authorities. This collection includes rosewoods (Madagascar rosewood is very famous because of its nobility), rosewoods but also ebony