Calyptronoma occidentalis

The swamp forests of the Great Morass are highly threatened. It has been estimated that 80% of this habitat type has been lost, and the remainder is now largely reduced to small, degraded fragments (Ramsar 2021). Tree cutting, fires set to clear land, and planting of Cannabis sativa continue to threaten these remaining patches (Ramsar 2021). The invasive herbaceous plant species Alpinia nigra has spread across large areas of the Great Morass, invading patches of swamp forest when understory light levels increase following felling of trees (Ramsar 2021). Tree diversity in fragments of Great Morass swamp forest is negatively correlated with abundance of A. nigra (Prospere et al. 2016). Clearance of upland and montane forest for shifting agriculture presents a threat to this species across much of its range, however large areas of potentially suitable habitat remain in remote and inaccessible areas of the Blue and John Crow Mountains. While the leaves and stems of this species are used for construction and making thatch roofs, it is not thought that harvest poses a significant threat to this species; Thrinax and Coccothrinax species are the main targets, while this species is likely to be used only opportunistically (K. Campbell pers. comm. 2024).

This species occurs in Mason River Nature Preserve. It is not common in cultivation (Palmpedia 2024), however, it is held in at least four ex situ conservation collections (BGCI 2024).