Musa sakaiana

At the time of the type collection, Bario was extremely isolated with no roads or rivers connecting it to settlements outside Kelabit territory (Häkkinen 2006). However, a road linking Bario to the coast has since opened and ecotourism in the area has grown in popularity (Sheldon et al. 2013). The surrounds of villages and farms are heavily disturbed by small-scale logging, wood-gathering and grazing, while forest loss is apparent along the newly opened transport routes (Sheldon et al. 2013, GFW 2019). Despite this, forest loss across the Kelabit Highlands area between 2001–2018 is less than 5% with degradation heavily concentrated around settlements and transport routes, meaning that large tracts of pristine sub-montane forest remain intact. Within the logging concessions in Lawas, loss of tree cover has also been less than 5% between 2001-2018 and this has similarly been concentrated along access roads (GFW 2019). The specific impact of deforestation on members of the Musa genus is somewhat difficult to quantify: while clear-felling or land conversion is likely to be detrimental to the species, wild bananas spring up in transient, often man-made, habitats and thus may benefit from human disturbance to some extent (Simmonds 1962). Felling of trees along narrow stretches of roadside may actually provide suitable habitat for some Musa species (Kiew 1987) and M. sakaiana has been observed commonly growing along logging tracks (Meekiong et al. 2005). As such, given the localised scale at which they are estimated to occur, the impact of threats from infrastructure development, farming and forestry is suspected to be minimal, and in some cases, perhaps beneficial in creating habitat. Further research into threats to the species is required to better understand how the species responds to disturbance and to identify whether any threats, named or unidentified, pose a more significant risk to the species.

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). The species has not been recorded from any protected areas, although it occurs in close proximity to the 1,645 km² Pulong Tau National Park (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2019). It is not known to be represented in ex situ conservation (Ruas et al. 2017, BGCI 2019, Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2019). As such, gathering of germplasm material from wild plants for ex situ conservation is recommended.