A. Species
Scientific name: Gonystylus bancanus
Common name(s): ramin tree
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Critically Endangered
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Sarawak
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Sarawak: Kayangeran FR and Saribas Lupar PF
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2007
End Year: 2007
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Logging and/or Wood Harvesting
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Decorative and aesthetic and Materials and construction
Motivation of use: 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?: National / local private sector
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
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Both areas have abundance of young seedlings and small saplings compared to trees, indicating good regeneration. However with a mean annual increment of 0.44 cm y-1 for G. bancanus and only one tree of DBH≥30.0 cm being recorded, harvesting in Kayangeran FR and Saribas Lupar PF should be suspended until the forest recovers with more mature trees of appropriate sizes. *The total stocking for stems with DBH ≥ 30 cm at Kayangeran FR would yield about 98 m³ and Saribas Lupar PF about 780 m³. With the mean stand density for G. bancanus at less than one tree ha-1 and the volume estimated at 0.33 m³ ha-1, the two selected areas are thus not suitable for harvesting of G. bancanus.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: authors state: "The estimated stand density and volume stocking for G. bancanus in Kayangeran FR was 98.856 m³ over an area of 3,067 ha. Such a low volume of G. bancanus stocking is considered uneconomical for harvesting"
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded
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
The findings from the two sites also showed a low occurrence of G. bancanus particularly for Kayangeran FR which could be related to the past logging intensity and the underlying ecological and environmental factors. It is recommended that a more intensive assessment be conducted in both sites to obtain a better understanding of the stocking and volume of this species. The current data obtained from the two areas in Sarawak is not sufficient to determine the sustainable harvest quota for G. bancanus in these areas. It is proposed that a more comprehensive assessment on G. bancanus be carried out in other PSF in the PFE. Enrichment planting of G. bancanus in some areas with sparse population of this species is recommended so that these would grow to mature trees for harvesting in the future. * Both areas have abundance of young seedlings and small saplings compared to trees, indicating good regeneration. However with a mean annual increment of 0.44 cm y-1 for G. bancanus and only one tree of DBH≥30.0 cm being recorded, harvesting in Kayangeran FR and Saribas Lupar PF should be suspended until the forest recovers with more mature trees of appropriate sizes. Additionally, logging practices in the PSF should be reviewed to ensure that sustainable harvesting is practised and that sufficient mother trees of G. bancanus remain in the logged-over PSF to perpetuate the species. Areas that are not suitable economically for harvesting could be converted to conservation areas for G. bancanus.
Record source
Information about the record source: formal_data_stats
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
bancanus – A Quantitative Assessment of G. bancanus in Two Selected Permanent Forests of Sarawak; ITTO-CITES PROJECT; Malaysia’s Work Programme For 2008
Date of record entry: 2023-09-27