Development of guidelines for the genetic conservation of endangered Mahogany species in the Amazon rainforest

Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP）
National Institute for Agriculture Innovation (INIA)
National Amazonian University of Madre de Dios (UNAMAD)

FY 2022-2026 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI)

MARUYAMA, Tsuyoshi (Department of Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology)

Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) and Cedro (Cedrela odorata L.), belonging to the Meliaceae family, are widely distributed from Central America to South America, and are commercially important tree species whose wood is traded at high prices. Despite being included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, illegal logging and illegal trade are occurring frequently and wild populations in the Amazon rainforest have declined significantly, becoming a great problem from the point of view of sustainable management and conservation of genetic diversity.

We aim to conserve the biological resources of endangered trees in the Amazon rainforest. In cooperation and collaboration with Peruvian research institutions, we will develop conservation guidelines that will serve as a case study for genetic resource conservation, with a particular focus on two commercially important species of the Meliaceae family.

To achieve the objectives, the following strategies will be applied: (1) elucidate the biogeographical distribution, genetic diversity and population genetic structure of main populations of the two Meliaceae species; (2) develop practical methods for ex situ conservation of the genetic resources of these two species. These will allow us to propose a sustainable management program for endangered tree species in the Amazon rainforest.

Tsuyoshi E. Maruyama, Momi Tsuruta, Kentaro Uchiyama (2024) Desarrollo de Lineamientos para la Conservación de Recursos Genéticos de Cedro y Caoba. Parte 1: Resumen de la Investigación. Bosques y Más, Octubre: 37–38 (in Spanish)

Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Channel (2025) Collection of research material from endangered trees growing in the natural forests of the Peruvian Amazon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ugXuPE6be0 (Feb. 06, 2025 access) (with Japanese and English titles)

Momi Tsuruta, Tsuyoshi E. Maruyama, Kentaro Uchiyama, Telésforo Vásquez Zavaleta (2025) Report on the international joint research project for the conservation of mahogany and cedro, a threatened tree species in the Peruvian Amazon –Sample collection–. Forest Genetics and Breeding Vol. 14: 72–74 (in Japanese with English Abstract)

Momi Tsuruta, Kentaro Uchiyama, Tsuyoshi E. Maruyama, Yinghong He, Yoshihisa Suyama, Telésforo Vásquez Zavaleta (2025) Population genetic analysis of the endangered Amazonian tree species Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata: toward the use of urban forests as ex situ genetic resources. Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding 14:14 (P11), 2025.11.