Distribution

Endemic to northern South America. In Brazil it occurs in the Serra da Neblina in the state of Amazonas. In Venezuela it occurs in the States of Bolívar (Amurí-tepui) and Amazonas (Sierra de la Neblina). The area of occupancy is estimated to be less than 500 km² and only two locations are known.

Habitat and Ecology

Grows in high montane tropical rain forest and cloud forest among rocks at 1,900 to 2,400 m asl (de Laubenfels 1992)

Conservation Status

Global Status

Near Threatened

Global Rationale

Podocarpus acuminatus is only known from two widely disjunct localities in remote areas with an area of occupancy estimated to be less than 500 km² (Farjon 2010). The remoteness of these localities and the fact that they are within National Parks should bode well for the future survival of this species. However, although the forests in Serra da Neblina National  Park (Brazil) are relatively intact and there is currently no reported decline in this subpopulation, the surrounding areas are being impacted by hunting, gold mining, some logging, agricultural encroachment and tourism (Dudley and Stolton 1999,Boubli 2002.). Road access to the Serra da Neblina area from Brazil has been established so these impacts may spread to the protected areas in the near future and could affect this species. Consequently a precautionary assessment of Near Threatened is warranted. Should a decline be recorded in the near future then a reassessment of Endangered under the criterion B2ab(ii,iii) may be appropriate

Conservation Actions

All areas are contained within effective protected areas of Pico da Neblina National Park (Brazil), Parima Tapirapecó National Park (Venezuela) and Gran Sabana National Park (Venezuela).