Turczaninowia (Dec 2017)
Conservation assessment of Pinus cernua (Pinaceae)
Abstract
The paper presents results of completed conservation assessment of the strict Laos-Vietnamese endemic, Pinus cernua, based on survey of all previous publications and data obtained from extensive fieldworks during September–October 2016, supported by Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Foundation for Fundamental Investigations (RFFI) and the Center for Plant Conservation of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations. Present review verified 23 locations of the species in Pha Luong Mountains situated on the state boundary of Laos (Houaphan province) and Vietnam (Son La province). Among available localities, 6 were found at first, the species extinction was detected in 1 locality. The area of the species distribution (EOO) decreased during last 3–5 years on 25–30 % from about 20 to 15 km2, with total occupancy area (AOO) becoming less than 3 km2, therefore species conservation status is assessed as globally critically endangered (CR) following to accepted IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: B1a, b (i-v), B2a, b (i-v). Report also provides basic data on geography, geomorphology and climate of Pha Luong Mountains, as well as detailed descriptions of P. cernua ecology, habitats, vegetation, biology, population structure and taxonomy. All field data and descriptions are based on collected voucher herbaria, which belong to 99 families, 180 genera and 550 species. Among collected plants, 6 species are new for the flora of Laos and Vietnam, 30 species are local threatened endemics needed protection and 12 species are new for science. The main factors of P. cernua extinction are formulated and the recommendations for its effective protection are proposed.
