Conservation news

China is a hotspot for Magnoliaceae diversity, hosting c. 120 species or over one third of the global total (Kunming Institute of Botany, 2006, Flora Yunnanica, Vol.16, Science Press, Beijing). Magnoliaceae in China have long been exploited for timber and horticulture and this, coupled with habitat degradation from agriculture, means that many Chinese Magnoliaceae are now highly threatened in the wild. During a red-listing workshop in Kunming in 2004, five species were identified as being particular priorities for action: Magnolia phanerophlebia, Magnolia sargentiana, Manglietia grandis, Manglietia sinica and Michelia coriacea. Fauna & Flora International’s (FFI) China Programme has been working with the Kunming Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences as part of the Global Trees Campaign (http://www.globaltrees.org) to confirm the status of these five species and to assess in more detail their conservation needs. A programme of five field surveys has been conducted in key areas, involving staff of nature reserves and forest offices. The surveys have confirmed that all five species as rare and threatened, with four of the five assessed as Critically Endangered. The most threatened is M. sinica, reduced to only 10 individuals in the wild in Xichou and Maguan Counties, south-east Yunnan. All the individuals are large trees, no seedlings or saplings were found, and the species is not regenerating naturally. However, c. 5,000 plants grown from seed were found in private and nationally-owned nurseries and research institutions in the area, and over-collection of seed could be partially responsible for the poor regeneration. FFI and the Kunming Institute of Botany are now working on a programme to reinforce the wild population using the cultivated seedlings, which are of known local provenance. The total populations of both M. phanerophlebia and M. coriacea were estimated at c. 500 individuals each. The major area for M. phanerophlebia is in Maguan County, Yunnan Province, where habitat destruction, particularly for cultivation of banana and Amomum tsao-ko (a spice crop known locally as Cao-Guo), continues to be a major threat. Cutting for firewood is also an issue, although the species can re-sprout after cutting; most of the individuals seen had multiple stems. Conservation needs include the prevention of any further habitat destruction, strengthening public awareness of the status of the species, and vegetative propagation, both for ex situ conservation and for a future reinforcement programme. M. coriacea also occurs in Yunnan Province, in Xichou and Malipo Counties. In Xichou, the species was found in secondary shrubby woods or on roadsides, with many trees being regrowth from cut stumps. All mature trees in protected sites had abundant flowers but young trees or seedlings are rare, and interviews with local people revealed that although the species flowers well, it fruits only rarely. Conservation needs include studying the species’ reproductive biology to attempt to improve fruiting, and developing techniques for vegetative propagation. Kunming Institute of Botany is currently working on these studies. M. grandis was found to be faring a little better, with a total population estimated at 1,200-1,500 mature trees, although none were found in Napo and Jingxi Counties, Guangxi Province, historically part of the species’ range. However, the species occurs in Yunnan Province near the Vietnamese border and further surveys could reveal its existence in Vietnam. Logging and collection for horticulture continue to be major threats, and conservation priorities are strengthening management within nature reserves to prevent ongoing logging, effective protection for individuals outside protected areas, and developing propagation from seeds and vegetative materials, both for ex situ conservation and to produce plants for horticultural use. The only really good news is from surveys of M. sargentiana, which was found to be more numerous than previously thought, with a total estimated population of c. 36,930 individuals. The species occurs in north-east Yunnan and central and southern Sichuan Provinces but there are no significant intact populations and it persists largely as scattered individuals in agricultural fields or remnant patches of broad-leaved forest. The population also appears to be ageing, with . 70% of the trees mature. In north-east Yunnan the shrub layer is now dominated by the edible bamboo Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda and this is preventing regeneration of M. sargentiana. Other threats include exploitation for timber, fuelwood and medicinal use. Although the Kunming workshop assessed this species as Endangered (Sun et al., 2005, Oryx, 39, 12), these surveys have now resulted in a downgrading to Vulnerable. Priority conservation needs for the species are enforcement of national and provincial nature protection laws or regulations, prohibiting bamboo shoot