
Cupeyal del Norte destination, Eden of the melastomes
by Eldis R. Bécquer
At the Reserve “Cupeyal del Norte”, in Eastern Cuba, a Planta! expedition follows the trail of three lost species of melastomes and another one perhaps new to science.
A Project from the Madagascar Plant Specialist Group was funded by Planta! as part of the SSC – Internal Grant since January 2020. The Project aims to create an action plan to preserve Critically Endangered regional plants.
Date: 9/1/2021
Project: Plant Conservation in Madagascar
Since 2000, the Madagscar Plant Specialist Group (MPSG) has been assessing plants according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List. The assessments of 3600 species have been published to the IUCN website, 62 % of which are Endangered. Local experts expose the lack of a National Strategy to target the threats that those Endangered species are facing and to develop a conservation plan.
The Project of the Madagascar Specialist Group (IUCN-SSC), funded by Planta!, will create an action plan accesible to conservationists, researchers and the general public. It aims to develop specific actions to stop the ongoing loss of plant diversity in Madagascar. This “Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Madagascar plants”, based on past and present conservation actions, will lead the way for the future of the conservation of the local flora.
The Project will contribute to analyze local threats for plant biodiversity, and to develop a National List of Endangered Species, shared by experts, stakeholders and others involved. Through several workshops, the project will help to capacitate local botanists in the assessment of species according to the IUCN Red List criteria.
The Madagascar Plant Specialist Group will keep the “Strategic Plan for the Conservation of Madagascar plants” available in their website. The Project will support the group’s leadership in the conservation of the local flora and the development of an action plan to preserve it.
More about the SSC – Internal Grant sponsored by Planta! – https://www.iucn.org/commissions/species-survival-commission/get-involved/ssc-internal-grant
by Eldis R. Bécquer
At the Reserve “Cupeyal del Norte”, in Eastern Cuba, a Planta! expedition follows the trail of three lost species of melastomes and another one perhaps new to science.