The countries that hold mpingo are reporting some success at protection, but poaching is also suspected. As the life cycle of the tree is not yet understood, it is difficult to know what to protect. For example, many countries allow gathering of dead wood but it appears that dead trees may be the source of new saplings. There are hundreds of species of ebony and almost every one can be considered endangered in some way. Some of the ebonies may already be extinct, certainly many areas where these trees occur naturally can no longer provide commercial timber.
Indian rosewood is protected by Indian legislation which prohibits the export of logs.
Only converted timber can be exported. Current research is beginning to show that trees of instrument-making quality and size still exist, but in limited numbers. Replanting programs are in existance, but as the tree takes 180 years to reach maturity it will be a long time before a new crop of large trees are available. Ebonies and rosewoods are freely available in musical instrument-making catalogues and are extensively used in factory production. The Way Forward Fortunately, there are now many positive aspects of conservation that need encouragement.