News Published: 04 April 2025

Dipterocarps are an ecologically and economically significant tree group, particularly in the Asian tropics. About 550 dipterocarp species exist globally, with 357 (65%) classified as threatened in the IUCN Red List of Dipterocarps 2023. To promote and strengthen the conservation of Dipterocarps, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) established the Global Conservation Consortium for Dipterocarps (GCCD) in 2020, hosted at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG, CAS). The GCCD brings together experts, scholars, and institutions globally to coordinate conservation efforts and to build collaborations and synergies among regional partners.

During the last five years, the GCCD focused on the 12 Chinese species, of which 9 are national key protected plants. We conducted comprehensive field surveys and collections and are implementing in situ and ex situ protection, seedling propagation, and wild reintroduction. In 2023, the first Rare Species Dipterocarp Protection Technology Conference was held, with the “Conservation Initiative of Dipterocarps in China” proposed. Additionally, the Yunnan International Joint Laboratory for the Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Timber Tree Species has been established at XTBG, which will initially focus on Dipterocarps.

To engage with the larger community of conservation biologists and practitioners and to launch regional coordination and collaboration to deepen research and conservation action in Southeast Asia’s dipterocarps hotspots, we are pleased to announce the Global Conservation Symposium for Dipterocarps 2025, a pivotal event aimed at addressing the significant issues concerning the conservation of Dipterocarp species and forests, which are crucial to the ecological balance and function of Southeast Asia’s forests.

This conference will bring together Southeast Asian dipterocarps experts to share recent progress, mutually identify priorities, and develop initial plans for regional action. This symposium will serve as an initial step towards creating an effective consortium that promotes conservation action, knowledge and expertise sharing, and capacity building at local and regional scales.

Symposium Details:

Date: 25-29 September 2025
Venue: Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Menglun, Mengla, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
Theme: “Sustaining Dipterocarpaceae: Setting priorities and taking action through regional networks”
Hosted by: Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XTBG, CAS)
Organizers: Global Conservation Consortium for Dipterocarps (GCCD), Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), Yunnan International Joint Laboratory for the Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Timber Tree Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for the Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants

For more information please go to the symposium website.