Post by Melanie on Apr 8, 2007 23:57:04 GMT 1
Pritchardia affinis, a critically endangered species endemic to the
Hawaiian Islands.
Unfortunately, like many other plants, palms have been threatened by
human intervention and exploitation. The greatest risk to palms is
destruction of habitat, especially in the tropical forests, due to
urbanization, wood-chipping, mining, and conversion to farmland.
Palms rarely reproduce after such great changes in the habitat, and
palms with a small habitat range are most vulnerable to them. The
harvesting of heart of palm, a delicacy in salads, also poses a
threat because it is derived from the inner core of the tree and
thus harvesting kills the tree. The use of rattan palms in furniture
has caused a major population decrease in these species that has
negatively affected local and international markets as well as
biodiversity in the area [11]. The sale of seeds to nurseries and
collectors is another threat, and the seeds of popular palms are
sometimes harvested directly from the wild. At least 100 palm
species are currently endangered, and nine species have reportedly
recently become extinct [7].
However, several factors make palm conservation more difficult.
Palms live in almost every type of habitat and have tremendous
morphological diversity. Most palm seeds lose viability quickly, but
they cannot be preserved in low temperatures because the cold kills
the embryo. Using botanical gardens for conservation also presents
problems, since they can only house a few plants of any species and
cannot truly imitate the natural setting [12].
The Palm Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)
began in 1984 and has performed a series of three studies in order
to find basic information on the status of palms in the wild,
utilization of wild palms, and palms under cultivation. Two projects
on palm conservation and utilization supported by the World Wildlife
Fund took place from 1985-1990 and 1986-1991, in the American
tropics and southeast Asia respectively. Both studies produced a
large amount of new data and publications on palms. Preparation of a
global action plan for palm conservation began in 1991, supported by
the IUCN, and was published in 1996 [12].
Hawaiian Islands.
Unfortunately, like many other plants, palms have been threatened by
human intervention and exploitation. The greatest risk to palms is
destruction of habitat, especially in the tropical forests, due to
urbanization, wood-chipping, mining, and conversion to farmland.
Palms rarely reproduce after such great changes in the habitat, and
palms with a small habitat range are most vulnerable to them. The
harvesting of heart of palm, a delicacy in salads, also poses a
threat because it is derived from the inner core of the tree and
thus harvesting kills the tree. The use of rattan palms in furniture
has caused a major population decrease in these species that has
negatively affected local and international markets as well as
biodiversity in the area [11]. The sale of seeds to nurseries and
collectors is another threat, and the seeds of popular palms are
sometimes harvested directly from the wild. At least 100 palm
species are currently endangered, and nine species have reportedly
recently become extinct [7].
However, several factors make palm conservation more difficult.
Palms live in almost every type of habitat and have tremendous
morphological diversity. Most palm seeds lose viability quickly, but
they cannot be preserved in low temperatures because the cold kills
the embryo. Using botanical gardens for conservation also presents
problems, since they can only house a few plants of any species and
cannot truly imitate the natural setting [12].
The Palm Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)
began in 1984 and has performed a series of three studies in order
to find basic information on the status of palms in the wild,
utilization of wild palms, and palms under cultivation. Two projects
on palm conservation and utilization supported by the World Wildlife
Fund took place from 1985-1990 and 1986-1991, in the American
tropics and southeast Asia respectively. Both studies produced a
large amount of new data and publications on palms. Preparation of a
global action plan for palm conservation began in 1991, supported by
the IUCN, and was published in 1996 [12].