Magnolia banghamii (Magnolia banghamii)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 232532157

Survey and Conservation of Magnolia banghamii and other endemic Magnolias of Indonesia

Indonesia is habitat for 28 species of Magnolia, of which six species are endemic to the country. A total of 21 Magnolia species or 75% of those found in Indonesia are currently assessed as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List. The main threats to Indonesian Magnolia species are habitat conversion and unsustainable biological use. For those species with DD status, further studies are required to confirm their current population status, distribution and threats and to be able to plan conservation action. This project will focus on three Data Deficient Magnolia species in Sumatra, Indonesia: M. banghamii, M. calophylloides, M. sumatrae.

Research and conservation actions related to the target species are very scarce. A population study conducted by Robiansyah et al. (2023) is the only work done with Magnolia banghamii since it was described as a new species in 1994. The conservation status of Magnolia banghamii is Data Deficient (DD) according to the assessment conducted by Khela in 2012, more than 10 years ago. During the most recent survey in 2022, information on the population status of Magnolia banghamii was gathered and a single seedling was collected to initiate an ex situ collection of the species. Robiansyah et al. (2023) updated the assessment of the species to Critically Endangered (CR) C2a(i), D due to the small population size (< 50 mature individuals) and continuing decline in the population size caused by a high rate of habitat conversion and degradation. Further studies on ecology and reproduction are required to generate a better understanding of this species as well as for M. calophylloides and M. sumatrae.

This project is part of the work of the Global Conservation Consortium for Magnolia, a network of institutions and experts who are working collaboratively to develop and implement a comprehensive conservation strategy to prevent the extinction of the world’s Magnolia species. During this project team members from Research Center for Plant Conservation, Botanic Gardens and Forestry - BRIN and Universitas Samudra will carry out field surveys (gathering range, population size, threat and phenology data) for the target species, collect herbarium specimens and material (i.e. seeds, cuttings, tissue samples) where possible, for research and conservation at local botanic gardens and research centers and complete and submit updated IUCN Red List assessments of the target species for publication.

The overall long-term goal of this project is to strengthen Magnolia conservation in Indonesia with robust field data and collaborative local partnerships. In particular, Data Deficient species reassessment and conservation will be advanced and will contribute to further work on national conservation strategies for this iconic plant group.

Project document

• A new article shares updated information about the conservation status of an understudied and rare Magnolia species in Indonesia.




Project 232532157 location - Indonesia, Asia