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Description |
Geographic Range [top]
Range Description: Gnetum oblongum is known from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Bangladesh; Myanmar (Myanmar (mainland))
Upper elevation limit (metres): 600
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Population [top]
Population: No recent information is known on population size and frequency. Markgraf (1930) mentioned that G. oblogum is fairly common in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
Additional data:
?Population severely fragmented: No
Habitat and Ecology [top]
Habitat and Ecology: Gnetum oblongum can be found in tropical moist lowland forests. There is however no specific habitat or ecology information available for this species.
Systems: Terrestrial
Use and Trade [top]
Use and Trade: The pliable stems of G. oblongum are used for tying purpose (Siddiqui et al. 2007).
Threats [top]
Major Threat(s): There are indications that the stem of G. oblongum is used for tying purposes, but it is unknown whether this threatens the population. Habitat loss caused by deforestation is probably the major threat to the species. The lowland forests in Myanmar are endangered by conversion to rubber and oil palm plantations. Most forests have been cleared and the degradation is very severe (Than and Wikramanayake 2001, Loucks et al. 2001). In Bangladesh the growing population is a major threat to the environment. Protected areas are vulnerable and are inadequate to conserve the ecoregions biodiversity. Until the beginning of the 20th century much forest still remained (all collections at hand of G. oblongum are from the early 20th century). Since then deforestation has accelerated and now the natural habitat is close to extinction (Rawat and Wikramanayake 2001).
Conservation Actions [top]
Conservation Actions: Gnetum oblongum has not been found in a protected area. The collection locality details are not very precise, but especially in Myanmar no protected areas are established in the surrounding area where the species was reported from. Gnetum oblongum has not been assessed previously and no species specific conservation measures are taken. In Myanmar effective conservation faces often severe difficulties due to the military regime and the poverty of the country. Local conservation activities are supported by e.g., US-American institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Conservation International and California Academy of Sciences. The projects aim for a thorough investigation of fauna and flora of Myanmar as well as to secure the protection of protected areas and the improvement of their management. The main focus is the protection of larger mammals, like tiger, elephant, but certainly also G. oblongum could profit from these protection efforts. In Bangladesh the forest department created a “Protected Areas Management Program” that aims for a better management and effective protection for the threatened country’s protected areas. Also international associations like the IUCN with their “Species Conservation and Protected Areas" program are active in Bangladesh.
Citation: Baloch, E. 2013. Gnetum oblongum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T194937A8922801. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T194937A8922801.en. Downloaded on 01 June 2016.
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