Saving an endangered tree species from extinction

Fighting for survival: A stylised illustration of Hopea subulata (merawan giam kanching) within its natural habitat. A species that once occupied a functioning forest ecosystem is now known from a tiny remnant population. — Photo courtesy of Dr Norida Hanim Awing

IN the forested hills near Rawang, Selangor, one of the world’s rarest tropical trees is quietly fighting for survival.

Known locally as merawan giam kanching and scientifically as Hopea subulata, the species is believed to have fewer than 400 mature trees remaining worldwide and its natural population is largely confined to the Kanching forest reserve in Selangor.

For decades, the tree remained obscure outside botanical circles despite belonging to the Dipterocarpaceae, the rainforest hardwood family that forms the ecological backbone of South-East Asia’s tropical forests.

While dipterocarps are often associated with towering timber species, Hopea subulata is now better known for a different distinction: it is considered one of Malaysia’s most vulnerable endemic forest trees.

Researchers and conservationists point to a combination of habitat fragmentation, urban expansion and weak natural regeneration as the primary pressures pushing the species towards extinction. With such a small remaining population, even localised environmental disturbances can have outsized consequences.

The tree gained national attention during planning for the Rawang Bypass, the major elevated highway connecting Rawang to Kuala Lumpur. Rather than relying on extensive conventional clearing through sensitive forest terrain, the authorities adopted an elevated highway design intended to reduce direct disturbance to the ecosystem where the endangered trees occur.

The bypass has since become one of Malaysia’s most frequently cited examples of environmentally-conscious infrastructure engineering, with elevated sections spanning steep forested slopes to minimise damage to the habitat below. Conservationists argue that the design decision may have prevented irreversible destruction of one of the species’ final natural refuges.

Efforts to protect Hopea subulata are no longer confined to forest reserves. At Zoo Negara Malaysia, conservation work has expanded beyond charismatic fauna to include critically-endangered plant species.

In a lesser-known botanical initiative, the national zoo has planted six Hopea subulata seedlings as part of an ex-situ conservation programme. The objective is not to replace protection of the wild population but to create a living safeguard for genetic material while increasing public awareness of Malaysia’s disappearing rainforest flora.

The initiative reflects a broader shift in conservation thinking: biodiversity protection is increasingly understood to involve not only Malayan tigers, Malayan tapirs and Borneo orang utans but also the plant species that underpin entire ecosystems.

Botanists note that dipterocarp trees perform critical ecological functions across South-East Asian rainforests. They store large amounts of carbon, influence forest microclimates and provide habitat and food resources for insects, birds and mammals.

The loss of a single dipterocarp species can therefore have consequences that extend well beyond the disappearance of one tree.

In the case of Hopea subulata, rarity compounds the risk. A population numbering only a few hundred mature individuals is inherently vulnerable to storms, disease, fire, illegal disturbance or failed reproductive cycles. Conservation specialists caution that long-term survival ultimately depends on sustained habitat protection, scientific management and continued monitoring of the remaining wild trees.

For many Malaysians, the giant dipterocarps that dominate lowland rainforests can seem permanent ancient fixtures of the landscape that will outlast generations. The story of merawan giam kanching suggests otherwise.

A species that once occupied a functioning forest ecosystem is now known from a tiny remnant population. Its future depends on decisions made across infrastructure planning, forest management, botanical conservation and public awareness.

Today, beneath the elevated spans of the Rawang Bypass and within the grounds of Zoo Negara, those efforts continue. The newly-planted saplings are modest in size but they carry a larger ambition: that one of Malaysia’s rarest trees will not disappear silently from the world’s tropical forests.

DR NORIDA HANIM AWING and DR LINDA SALIM

Zoo Negara Malaysia