P. trinitensis has a very narrow distribution on Tobago and Trinidad. Due to this a change of circumstances could cause a decrease in its area of occupancy. Because of this it has been listed as Near Threatened.
Distribution
Endemic to to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago (Stark Schilling, 2004). Its main distribution is on Trindad where it is restricted to the North and Central Mountain Ranges and has 12 locations (Van den Eynden, 2008). On Tobago there is a single recorded location on the south summit of the main ridge of Mount St. George-Castara Trace.
It occurs as scattered trees. The mountain El Tucuche in the Northern range is a classic location. There is no evidence for a reduction in the size of the population
Habitat and Ecology
It has an altitudinal range of between 120-600 m in lowland tropical rainforest on Trinidad and on Tobago it is recorded as occurring in dry forest at an altitude of 400 m (Stark Schilling, 2004).
Human Uses
Like most members of the genus Podocarpus its wood has great value and historically it will have been used locally. There are no recorded present-day uses
Conservation Status
Global Status
Near Threatened
Global Rationale
P. trinitensis has a very narrow distribution which is restricted to one known historic location on Tobago and 12 localities in North and Central Mountain Ranges in Trinidad. Although there is no current evidence that this species is under direct threat it would still be prudent to list this species as Near Threatened (almost qualifies for listing under criterion B2ab(iii,v)). As it has such a narrow range, it would not take much in a change of circumstances, such as an increase in human-set fires, illegal wood poaching, both of which already occur in the protected areas (WWF, 2011) on Trinidad, to cause a decrease in its area of occupancy (AOO). Like all podocarps the wood of P. trinitensis is of great value!
Conservation Actions
Much of its distribution is in protected areas, for example on Trinidad these are in the Central Forest Reserve, Matura Forest Reserve Western. North Range Forest Reserve Section (Van den Enyden, 2008). It has protection in its only known location on Tobago
Stark Schilling, D.M. 2004. Taxonomic studies of Caribbean and Central American species of Podocarpus subgenus Podocarpus. RBG Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh
Staszkiewicz, J. 1988. A taxonomic revision of the genus Podocarpus from the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 23(1-2): 71-105
Van den Eynden, V., Oatham, M.P. and Johnson, W. 2008. How free access internet resources benefit biodiversity and conservation research:Trinidad and Tobago’s endemic plants and their conservation status. Oryx 42(3): 400-407.
White, G., Mahabir, K., Oatham, M. and Rooks, C., 2015. The Avifauna of the Matura Environmentally Sensitive Area, Trinidad and Tobago. Living World, Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club. 2015. 23-36