Santiria laevigata occurs in the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. This widespread species has been split into two forms: forma laevigata and forma glabrifolia. In the Philippines, it is naturally found in streamside valley and secondary dipterocarp forest in two provinces in Luzon island while in Indonesia, it is occurring in primary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, and dryland rainforest. It can also be found in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia in primary and secondary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forests, and peat swamp. Specimens were also collected in tropical rainforest and evergreen forest of Thailand and north Singapore. It has a calculated extent of occurrence (EOO) of 6,694,840.133 km² based on currently available information. Though the population size is currently not known, a continuous decline is expected due to habitat-threatening effects of commodity-driven deforestation, illegal logging, shifting agriculture, and urbanization. However, despite these threats affecting the population and natural habitat quality, it is assessed globally as Least Concern (LC) given its numerous occurrences, very wide distribution, and expected abundance.

Santiria laevigata is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. This widespread species has been split into two forms: forma laevigata and forma glabrifolia. The former occurs in the Philippines in streamside valley and secondary dipterocarp forest of Santa Cruz, Zambales and Subaan River, Oriental Mindoro. It can also be found in Indonesia in primary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, and dryland rainforest of Bangka-Belitung, Bengkulu, Kalimantan (Barat, Timur), Maluku, Sulawesi Tengah, and Sumatra (Barat, Selatan, Utara, Riau, Jambi). Both forms can be found in Brunei Darussalam in primary and secondary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forests, and peat swamp of Belait and Temburong District as well as in Malaysia at Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Pahang, Perak, and Trengganu. Specimens were also collected in tropical rainforest and evergreen forest of Thailand (Narathiwat and Kra Buri, Ranong) and in Singapore (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve). It usually grows at an elevation of five to 1,463 m above sea level. It has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 6,694,840.133 km² accounting for its 76 identified localities that are continuously threatened by commodity-driven deforestation, illegal logging, shifting agriculture, and urbanization (GFW 2021, GBIF.org 2021).

There is no information on the population size of the species. However, a decline is suspected due to continuous loss of primary forests within its distribution range.

The height of Santiria laevigata from the herbarium records ranges from four to 44 metres. In the Philippines, it can be naturally found in streamside valley and secondary dipterocarp forest while in Indonesia, it is located in primary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, and dryland rainforest. In Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, the species is occurring in primary and secondary forests, lowland mixed dipterocarp forests, and peat swamp. Specimens were also recorded in tropical rainforest and evergreen forest of Thailand and North Singapore. The species regenerates well in logged-over forest and has been found to become the dominant species five years after logging. It usually grows at an elevation of five to 1,463 m above sea level (GBIF.org 2021). There is no information on the phenology of the species.

Santiria laevigata is primarily threatened by land conversion and habitat degradation caused by commodity-driven deforestation, illegal logging, shifting agriculture, and urbanization. Based on analyzed data from the Global Forest Watch, a significant loss of humid primary forests from 2002 to 2020 is reported across the range of the species - 732ha in the Philippines (Santa Cruz, Zambales and Oriental Mindoro), 6.38Mha in Indonesia (Bangka-Belitung, Bengkulu, Kalimantan (Barat, Timur), Maluku, Sulawesi Tengah, and Sumatra (Barat, Selatan, Utara, Riau, Jambi)), 7,640ha in Thailand (Narathiwat and Kra Buri, Ranong), and 2ha in north Singapore. Aside from these anthropogenic disturbances, Muttaqin et. al (2019) recorded Cephaleuros virescens as a pest to Santiria laevigata, causing algal leaf spot.

Santiria laevigata is one of the main sources of kedondong (Malaysian) timber. The wood is used for planks, posts, furniture and handles (Lemmens et al. 1995). It is also used in the treatment of diarrhea by local people in Malaysia (Suwardi et al. 2020).

The species is not included in the Philippine Red List (DENR-BMB 2017). Subpopulations of the species are protected in situ because of its presence in declared protected areas (PAs) in Indonesia (Gunung Leuser National Park and Bukit Lima Nature Reserve), Malaysia (Bako National Park, Lambir Hills National Park, Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve), and Singapore (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve). In addition, it is known in at least three botanic gardens globally (BGCI 2021). Further inventory and research are needed to account for total remaining population size in the wild.