Today we celebrate the importance of all types of forests around the world. And Asia has a lot to celebrate, from Burmese Rosewood (Dalbergia oliveri) overexploited for its bark and its precious heartwood, to the majestetic Enkabang trees (Shorea macrophylla)that produce edible oil and timber apart from serving an important role in carbon sequestration in Borneo’s tropical rainforests.

Over the past year, APFORGEN members and partners have produced new knowledge of the threats to these species and capacities for conserving and sustainably using them. For example, as interest for planting Rosewoods soars, local communities can gain significant additional income from selling the seed of these species that can fetch US$100 or more per kg – but as APFORGEN experts have trained them, it is important to follow good seed collection practices to ensure the seed is viable and genetically diverse. And for Shorea macrophylla, occurrence data contributed by APFORGEN partners and state-of-the art distribution modelling showed that the species is one of the most vulnerable to climate change, predicted to lose up to 80% of its current range by 2050 if urgent conservation actions are not taken.

A number of new reports and publications are now available on our website, describing the results of this work. Click on the links below to follow APFORGEN’s trail through Asia’s breath-taking forests!

• Results workshop of the initiative APFORGIS: Establishing an Information System for Native Asian Tree Species and their Genetic Resources (Beijing, October 2020)
• Tree seed and seedlings marketing: training for farmers (Kampong Thom, Cambodia, January 2020)
• Draft Regional Guidelines for Identifying Genetic Conservation Units