Native trees of Mexico: diversity, distribution, uses and conservation

Eugeniasarahchazaroi (Myrtaceae, Myrteae), a new species from the cloud forest of Mexico

Following the description of Eugenianaraveana in 2016 from the cloud forest of the Cofre de Perote volcano, Mexico, the doubt about the existence of another unlocalized and sympatric species of Eugenia remained. After years of searching, the second endemic species of the Cofre de Perote volcano, Eugeniasarahchazaroi, is presented here. It belongs to the section Umbellatae, and is described, illustrated, and compared with E.naraveana and E.coetzalensis, recently described from Veracruz, the second state with the highest diversity of Eugenia in Mexico. The species is only known from the type locality and is classified in the Critically Endangered CR B1+B2(a,biii) category of the IUCN Red List conservation assessments.

Cost Analysis of Seed Conservation of Commercial Pine Species Vulnerable to Climate Change in Mexico

Mexico is home to 40% of the pine species in the world. By the year 2050, 20% of the Mexican forests could be lost because of climate change and other human-related activities. In this paper, we determine the potential areas for seed collecting of four species of the genus Pinus and its ex situ economic value under different future Climate Change Scenarios (CCS). The species analyzed were Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl, P. rudis Endl., P. culminícola Andresen et Beaman and P. leiophylla Schiede ex Schltdl. and Cham which together accounts for 19% of the timber production in Mexico. Potential areas of distribution of populations in habitats with Annual Mean Maximum Temperatures (AMMT) for seed collection were modelled through a Geographic Information System and climate database. The seed storage economic value was determined by using the Collection Cost Method. The AMMT of P. oocarpa, P. rudis, P. culminícola and P. leiophylla were 28 °C, 20 °C, 18.3 °C and 27.4 °C, respectively. The economic losses from shortages of these species due to CCS in 2050, were estimated of 88.5 million (USD) and 67.16 million (USD) with severe and conservative future CCS, respectively. The nominal investment rate would be 8.84% or more, for storing seeds of the four species and withstanding climate change. An ex situ seed bank is a medium and long-term investment; among its benefits are establishing a market price for the use and conservation of species in the face of possible adverse scenarios.

Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects-The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank

There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of 'exceptional species' is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods.

Sustainability of wild plant use in the Andean Community of South America

Overexploitation is the second biggest driver of global plant extinction. Meanwhile, useful plant species are vital to livelihoods across the world, with global conservation efforts increasingly applying the concept of 'conservation-through-use.' However, successfully balancing conservation and biodiversity use remains challenging. We reviewed literature on the sustainability of wild-collected plant use across the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia-a region of global importance for its biological and cultural richness. After applying defined search terms and a two-stage screening process, 68 articles were reviewed. The numbers which reported sustainable, unsustainable, or context-dependent outcomes were relatively even, but national differences emerged. Through narrative synthesis, we identified five key, reoccurring themes: plant biology; land tenure; knowledge, resource, and capacity; economics and market pressures; and institutional structures, policy, and legislation. Our results show the need for flexible, context-specific approaches and the importance of collaboration, with bottom-up management and conservation methods involving local communities and traditional ecological knowledge often proving most effective.

Towards Conservation of the Remarkably High Number of Daisy Trees (Asteraceae) in Mexico

Mexico is floristically the fourth most species-rich country in the world, and Asteraceae is the most diverse vascular plant family in this country. The species exhibits a wide range of growth forms, but the tree-like habit, appropriately named daisy trees, is heavily underestimated, even though slightly different tree definitions are handled. Very little is known about their precise species number or conservation status in Mexico, so we update here the list of known Mexican daisy tree species, summarize their very diverse uses, present a general panorama of their present and future distribution, and discuss their conservation status. A bibliographic review and herbarium study were carried out, carefully curated taxonomical ocurrence maps were prepared for each species, and a climatic suitability modelling approach was used to characterise the spatial patterns of Mexican Asteraceae trees. With 149 daisy tree species, the country ranks second at a global level; within the country, their greatest diversity is found in central and western Mexico. A decrease in diversity is estimated in areas that currently host the highest species richness, whereas the hotspot regions are estimated to show an increase in species diversity, so climate change is not a threat to all Mexican daisy tree species.