Abstract. The aromatic heartwood of Santalum yasi has been harvested extensively in Fiji and Tonga over the past two centuries for international trade in the medicinal, perfume, and incense industry and other cultural purposes. Field surveys and a review of historic and modern documents reveal a sparse and scattered distribution and indicate that the natural distribution of S. yasi has fluctuated over time, even declining to local extinction in the wild in some areas, while S. album has been introduced and naturalisation of S. yasi  S. album hybrids is evident. Population data collected along transects in three in situ S. yasi populations show discontinuous size-class structures, indicating regenerative stress. The population densities at study sites ranged from 19 to 63 adult trees ($5 cm DBH) per hectare and less than two heartwood-bearing trees ($15 cm DBH) per hectare. Though S. yasi trees may attain up to 40 cm DBH, no trees greater than 23 cm DBH were found in any of the studied populations. Low density and small size of adult trees and human-induced bole damage are suggestive of frequent, premature, and defensive harvesting patterns and indicate the need for ongoing adaptive comanagement in recognition of underlying economic and sociocultural pressures.Additional keywords (or phrases): adaptive comanagement, resource management, sustainable harvesting.