Amazonian tree with human-sized leaves finally gets ID’d as new species
Without a formal identity, it’s also difficult to assess the plant’s conservation status. “Initiatives to prevent its extinction are also impaired if the plant has no scientific name,” Gribel said. “Similarly, measures to regulate collection, trade, transport, planting, etc. depend on species recognition as a single taxonomic entity.”
With the formal description in place, the researchers say that the species is likely rare and has a high risk of extinction. Individuals of C. gigantifolia have been recorded only from the Madeira River Basin in the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Rondônia — areas currently impacted by infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric dams, roads and expanding agriculture.
“The middle and low stretches of the Madeira River still have much of their forest conserved but deforestation has been growing rapidly in these areas especially in northeastern Rondônia and southern Amazonas,” Gribel said. “The Samuel Dam in the Jamari River (and possibly the Santo Antonio and Jirau Dams in the Madeira River) flooded tens of thousands of hectares of forests with Coccoloba gigantifolia and may have negatively affected the populations. The ongoing paving of the BR319 highway will increase deforestation throughout the Middle and Lower Madeira region.”
Based on these threats, and on the findings that the species is rare and likely has disjointed populations occurring in a rapidly changing landscape, the authors have recommended listing the species as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
With the formal description in place, the researchers say that the species is likely rare and has a high risk of extinction. Individuals of C. gigantifolia have been recorded only from the Madeira River Basin in the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Rondônia — areas currently impacted by infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric dams, roads and expanding agriculture.
“The middle and low stretches of the Madeira River still have much of their forest conserved but deforestation has been growing rapidly in these areas especially in northeastern Rondônia and southern Amazonas,” Gribel said. “The Samuel Dam in the Jamari River (and possibly the Santo Antonio and Jirau Dams in the Madeira River) flooded tens of thousands of hectares of forests with Coccoloba gigantifolia and may have negatively affected the populations. The ongoing paving of the BR319 highway will increase deforestation throughout the Middle and Lower Madeira region.”
Based on these threats, and on the findings that the species is rare and likely has disjointed populations occurring in a rapidly changing landscape, the authors have recommended listing the species as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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04 February 2023
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