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Rescuing the rare monotypic Aetoxylon sympetalum from remnant forests in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2024

Yulita Kusumadewi Open the ORCID record for Yulita Kusumadewi [Opens in a new window] ,
R.M. Wiwied Widodo Open the ORCID record for R.M. Wiwied Widodo [Opens in a new window] ,
Kusuma Rahmawati Open the ORCID record for Kusuma Rahmawati [Opens in a new window] ,
Bayu A. Pratama Open the ORCID record for Bayu A. Pratama [Opens in a new window] ,
Gustaman Syah Open the ORCID record for Gustaman Syah [Opens in a new window] ,
Ignasius Suriyanto Open the ORCID record for Ignasius Suriyanto [Opens in a new window] ,
Agusti Randi Open the ORCID record for Agusti Randi [Opens in a new window] ,
Simon Petrus Open the ORCID record for Simon Petrus [Opens in a new window]  and
Henti H. Rachmat Open the ORCID record for Henti H. Rachmat [Opens in a new window]
Yulita Kusumadewi*
Affiliation:
Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, Bogor, Indonesia National Agency for Research and Innovation-Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia
R.M. Wiwied Widodo
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Conservation Agency, West Kalimantan Province, Pontianak, Indonesia
Kusuma Rahmawati
Affiliation:
Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, Bogor, Indonesia National Agency for Research and Innovation-Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia
Bayu A. Pratama
Affiliation:
Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, Bogor, Indonesia National Agency for Research and Innovation-Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia
Gustaman Syah
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Conservation Agency, West Kalimantan Province, Pontianak, Indonesia
Ignasius Suriyanto
Affiliation:
Tumbuhan Asli Nusantara Foundation, Palu, Indonesia
Agusti Randi
Affiliation:
Tumbuhan Asli Nusantara Foundation, Palu, Indonesia
Simon Petrus
Affiliation:
Arboretum Sylva Fahutan UNTAN, Pontianak, Indonesia
Henti H. Rachmat
Affiliation:
Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, Bogor, Indonesia National Agency for Research and Innovation-Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia
*
yulita.kds@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Type
Conservation News
Information
Oryx , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , January 2024 , pp. 13
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

Aetoxylon sympetalum (Steenis & Domke) Airy Shaw (Thymelaeaceae) is a monotypic tree species endemic to West Borneo. It can reach a height of c. 30 m and grows mainly in inundated soils such as heath forests. The tree produces aromatic resin that smells similar to that of agarwood and that is extracted and mixed with resin from agarwood-producing trees of the genus Aquilaria. The market demand for A. sympetalum has increased as the demand for agarwood has risen. The species was formerly harvested in Indonesia but is now protected under the Minister of Environment and Forestry Decree 106/2018 because of its rarity, continuing decline and endemicity. Nationally, A. sympetalum has been categorized as Critically Endangered.

A research team from the Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, in collaboration with the National Agency for Research and Innovation, Natural Resources Conservation Agency West Kalimantan Province, and Tumbuhan Asli Nusantara Foundation, surveyed for A. sympetalum during July–August 2023 in Mentebah District of the Kapuas Hulu Regency of West Kalimantan Province. We collected data on the number of mature and immature individuals, area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and threats, and seedlings and twigs were collected for propagation in a nursery in West Java. The information obtained will be used to reassess the species’ conservation status and to estimate its standing stock. We found only nine mature and seven immature trees. Efforts to find other trees and propagation experiments are ongoing. We anticipate that the propagated cuttings will serve as planting stock for ex situ conservation.

During our surveys we informed local communities and village officials about the protected status of A. sympetalum. We also explained how the existence of A. sympetalum within a forest can be used as the legal basis for applying for land status as a customary forest.

We thank Re:wild, the IUCN Species Survival Commission for an Internal Grant, the Indonesian Scientific Authority–National Agency for Research and Innovation, and village leaders of Mentabah District.