Rotin

The major threats to this species are habitat loss due to forest conversion to agriculture, and the over-harvesting of the stems for the rattan market (D. Ouattara and F. Stauffer, pers. comm. 2016). In Côte d'Ivoire, this species is highly threatened; the only forest where the species have been observed is currently being cut to open up new fields and the stems of this rattan are over-harvested in the area, which could soon lead to the disappearance of this rattan species in this country. The same threats are observed in Ghana. Data are currently absent regarding the threats to this species in Sierra Leone, but we infer that the species is likely to be threatened by habitat loss here too.

This rattan palm is only reported to occur in the Ankasa Conservation Area (Ghana), although it was not encountered during recent floristic inventories in the area (F. Stauffer pers. comm. 2016). Conservation measures are urgently needed to protect its habitat and control the unsustainable exploitation of this rattan. A promising solution might be the sustainable cultivation of rattans to avoid the exploitation of wild populations.