Species Use Database

Tokay gecko
Gekko gecko

Used for Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene in Indonesia

A. Species

Scientific name: Gekko gecko

Common name(s): Tokay gecko

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Indonesia

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Throughout the Indonesian Archipelago, except the western region of New Guinea, which are consisted of Papua and West Papua Provinces


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2013

End Year: 2022


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat, Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat and Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal and Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local government


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat, Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat and Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES-NDF

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Thanks to annual export quotas (implemented in 2013) and the biological resilience of geckos to high rates of off-take, the NDF assessment is that the Indonesian population is no longer vulnerable to large-scale decline. NDF Scores: Biological resilience = 1.2 Hunting pressure effect = 1.4 Trade pressure effect = 1.67 Management = 1

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES NDF

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Current, quota regulated, rates of off-take are not jeopardizing the Tokay gecko population, therefore, economics based on this exploitation and international trade should be sustainable (in most provinces). individuals weighing one ounce (=100 grams) are valued at Rp. 5,000/individual (USD$ 0.33).

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Details of assessment carried out: CITES NDR

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Implicitly, any social dimension relating to trade in Tokay geckoes should also be sustainable.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Regulations limiting the size of the body length (SVL) that can be captured (harvested). CITES monitoring of body size restriction rules. Stricter control of Gekko gecko captive breeding. Appropriate and data-based setting on annual export quotas.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2023-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Kurniati, H., Munir, M., Sidik, I., Riyanto, A., Hamidy, A., Mumpuni, Rini, R.L., Nopiansyah, F., Haryono, M., Widiyanto, D., Chandradewi, D.S. (2023). Non-Detriment Findings (NDF): Tokay gecko In Indonesian Archipelago (Gekkonidae: Gekko gecko). Research Organization for Life Sciences and Environment, The National Research and Innovation Agency — Directorate General of Nature Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, The Ministry of Environment and Forestry. 45 pp + iv.

Date of record entry: 2023-09-12