News published: 26 February 2026

As part of a three-year programme from 2025-2027 called “Global Trees: Action for All Tree Species”, funded by Fondation Franklinia, BGCI is working with partners in 14 countries around the world to deliver in situ and ex situ conservation for some of the world’s most threatened tree species.

In Malaysia, field surveys carried out for the project “Conserving Critically Endangered Adonidia dransfieldii and Saurauia sammanniana in Sabah” have led to the discovery of new populations. Implemented by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), the project aimed to assess the species’ populations and threats to their natural habitats.

Finding Adonidia dransfieldii
The palm that would eventually be known as Adonidia dransfieldii was first collected in 1998. Successfully cultivated at the Forest Research Centre (FRC), Sandakan, about 200 km from its original habitat in Kota Belud, it would later be described formally as a new species from ex situ type material in 2015. In 2020, A. dransfieldii was classified as Critically Endangered.

Surveys in August 2025 by the SFD team successfully rediscovered the very same population first recorded 27 years ago. A total of 153 individuals were recorded from the Lemaas Forest Reserve, where limited resource use is permitted for local communities. Residents at Kg. Lok Nunuk, a small coastal village, recalled harvesting the palm in the past for flooring material, though this practice has since ceased. The team also noted small-scale rubber farms in the area.

In February 2026, analysis of satellite images and information gathered local sources led the team to discover 10 new subpopulations across Kudat and Kota Belud, extending the species’ known range by around 100 km. These discoveries underscore the value of field surveys, providing data that may support future downlisting.

Saving Saurauia sammanniana
The second species, Saurauia sammanniana, is a tree known only from Jalan Kampung Gana-Gana, Ranau, where it was first collected 9 years ago. Given its extremely limited distribution as a Critically Endangered species, the SFD team surveyed a 500 m radius around the area, revealing two more small populations of only 17 individuals in total, about 80 m apart.

S. sammaniana was found on steep slopes near a river stream, within privately-owned land that had been partially cleared, likely for agriculture. The site also faces potential threats from soil erosion, as evidenced by a landslide occurring about 100 m away. A total of 59 cuttings were taken and subsequently planted at the FRC, greatly augmenting the only other known ex situ collection from Kipandi Park, Penampang. Two plots were also established to monitor the population of the species in situ.

Overall, insights from the survey are expected to guide future conservation actions and management strategies for safeguarding Adonidia dransfieldii and Saurauia sammanniana in Sabah.

Find out more about BGCI’s Tree Conservation Programme here.