In situ and Ex situ Conservation of Commercial Tropical Trees - ITTO

198Conservation Status of the StandsDo the stands still exist?Of the 36 stands established within the framework of the FAO/UNEP project8 were lost and a further three stands could not be properly identified in thefield. For the stands established through national efforts, the number of standsinitially established is unknown and hence the survival rate cannot be calculated.However, 12 out of the 99 stands included were lost. In addition, information onseed lot origin was lost for 6 stands why they have little or no value conservationwise. Fire originating from shifting cultivation and other human activity in nearbyareas was the main reason for the loss of stands damaging 1/3 of the remainingstands as well.Disturbance in standsOf the 28 FAO/UNEP stands, 15 were undisturbed, while fire, illegal cutting orwildlife damaged 13 stands to some extent. Fire and illegal cutting accountedfor approximately 2/3 of these damages. In India, domestic animals damaged13 out of 16 stands in early stages of development. This resulted in high seedlingmortality in the establishment phase, whereas the present health status ofsurviving trees is generally excellent. Encroachment, domestic animals, andtermites caused damage locally.Among the 87 existing national stands, 47 were undisturbed. Fire,illegal cutting, encroachment or domestic animals affected the remaining 40stands to varying degrees. Fire was the dominant threat in Thailand, Tanzaniaand Australia and accounted for 24 of the disturbed stands. In Brazil, wind andhail constituted a serious threat at a number of sites causing stem break andwind throw.In summary, fire was the all-important cause of damage to theconservation stands. Besides accounting for the loss of 14 of 20 stands, firewas the primary cause of damage followed by illegal cutting. Disturbanceswere in most cases slight to moderate, but 13 stands were so seriously disturbed,that their overall survival is unlikely.Survival rate in existing standsSurvival rate was measured as the ratio between numbers of trees remainingover the number of trees originally planted. Measuring survival rate in these20-25 years-old stands was difficult in the unthinned stands, as it was not always