Musa monticola

Within the Kinabalu and Crocker Range national parks, there are no significant threats to the species. Although much of the lowland forest in the vicinity of Mt. Kinabalu has been transformed to other uses, the park remains in an excellent state of conservation. The State Government closed mining activity bordering the Park, and the improved park enforcement and prosecution capability is considered effective in controlling all significant threats (UNESCO 2019). In the Crocker Range, while sizeable patches of lowland forest have been cleared for agriculture and settlements, the montane forest is pristine (BirdLife International 2019). However, some collections made by Hotta (Hotta #4213, #4399, #5835) are suspected to fall outside the boundary of the Kinabalu National Park and threats presented by settlement, agricultural development, and logging occur right up to the boundary in many places (UNESCO 2019). For the majority of the suspected area of occupancy for the species, though, the level of threat is thought to be negligible.

The genus Musa is listed in Annex I of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) which aims to guarantee sustainable agriculture and food security through the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use (FAO 2009). One germplasm accession of wild origin is held by the Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC) in Belgium (Ruas et al. 2017, Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2019). Three botanical gardens are listed as sites of ex situ conservation for this species (BGCI 2019). Almost all of the recorded collections of the species have been made within the boundaries of the 753.7 km² Kinabalu National Park and ASEAN Heritage Park and the 1,405.69 km² Taman Negara Banjaran Crocker National Park (Protected Planet 2019); passive conservation is presumed in these areas but it is unclear whether active management is apparent.