Areca unipa

Heatubun et al. (2013) document that Areca unipa is used by local people as a betel nut substitute, which they collect by chopping down the palm. They report that these palms occur at a low density, with only 2 individuals found within the surveyed 10 Ha plot. The scale of the harvest is unknown, but Heatubun et al. (2013) estimate the population as numbering no more than 250 mature individuals. Areca unipa grows directly on coal beds, and Heatubun et al. (2013) cite the collection locality as the mining concession PT Bima Cakrawala Nusantara. This is not yet active, but if coal extraction became active in the area, this species would rapidly decline to extinction. Another threat is the logging concession PT Wana Galang Utama (Global Forest Watch 2022), which is also not yet active, but could also drive this palm rapidly to extinction if it became active.

Although Areca unipa is not reported in any ex situ collections by BGCI (2022), it is cultivated in a nursery in Bogor (Heatubun pers. comm.) as a horticultural plant. It is also grown at the nursery at the Universitas Papua campus in Manokwari (UNIPA), from which it derives its name (Heatubun et al. 2013). Areca unipa appears to be very suitable for horticulture, with plants successfully growing at UNIPA in Manokwari and at a nursery in Bogor. It is recommended that this species is re-collected so that its seeds can be placed in a gene bank, and that plans and mitigation are put in place regarding the cutting down of this palm to harvest the fruits, which could rapidly drive it to extinction.