Conservation news
Urgent protection is required for Michelia lacei Impending recovery of a tiger population in (Magnoliaceae) in Yunnan, China Telangana following increased protection
The evergreen tree Michelia lacei W.W. Smith (with the sy- nonyms M. uniflora, M. tignifera, M. magnifica and M. pa- Increasing the global number of tigers Panthera tigris is a key chycarpa), of the family Magnoliaceae, occurs in Myanmar, conservation target. Recovery of tiger populations in contigu- Vietnam and China. In it was evaluated as occurring in ous, well-protected habitat is a critical step in achieving this fewer than five localities in China, with an estimated – goal. Across their range, tigers respond negatively to human mature individuals. This evaluation was based on the field presence, largely as a result of depletion of prey numbers, knowledge of experts rather than on verification of occur- conflict with people and poaching for illegal trade. The de- rence in particular localities. The species was subsequently ca- marcation of protected areas with strict protection measures tegorized as Critically Endangered on the China Species Red is therefore the cornerstone of tiger conservation. List in and on the Red List of Magnoliaceae published The forested landscape of south-east India, the southern by Fauna & Flora International in , and as Endangered Central Indian tiger landscape, has large tracts of habitat on The Red List of Magnoliaceae revised and extended by and the potential to hold viable tiger populations. Botanic Gardens Conservation International in ,and Currently, however, because of persistent anthropogenic the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in .InMarch threats and weak protection, these forests are largely depau- the species was identified as one of plant species with perate of large mammals. The Wildlife Conservation Society extremely small populations in China. India Program (WCS India) has been working with local To secure more reliable data on M. lacei in China a total of conservation partner Hyderabad Tiger Conservation eightfield surveys werecarried outin south-eastYunnan during Society to further the recovery of tigers in this landscape. –withthejointsupportofthesecondsurveyofkeypro- The two NGOs have been involved in enhancing awareness tected wild plants in Wenshan and Honghe Prefectures (grant of and interest in tiger conservation; training forest depart- YG) and Yunnan Provincial Wildlife Conservation ment personnel in monitoring of tigers, their prey and Projects (grant ). Field surveys in Wenshan Prefecture threats; mitigating direct anthropogenic threats to tiger sur- were conducted in May, July and December and vival by assisting the forest department in protection; sup- November by Dao Zhiling, and in Honghe Prefecture porting families that wish to voluntarily resettle from in October , August , and June and September forest interiors; and mitigating human–tiger conflict. by Cai Lei. In total only three localities and mature indivi- In the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining duals have so far been recorded, in Maguan County (six indi- Reserved Forests in this region were declared a Tiger viduals), Malipo County (three individuals) and Jinping Reserve following a survey that highlighted the potential of County (one individual). There have been no known in situ the area for the species. At the time tigers had been function- conservation actions for this species until now, although the ally extinct in the area for at least a decade. Nonetheless species is cultivated in five ex situ collections in botanical gar- there was evidence of the area’s conservation potential, dens in China. Our survey and information obtained in inter- with the occasional signs of tiger presence, extant prey views with local people indicate that the main threats to this populations, and nearly , km of good quality habitat. species are habitat degradation, forest loss and low production With enhanced protection as a Tiger Reserve, conservation- of fruits. At Kunming Botanical Garden, Yunnan, we planted ists expected anthropogenic stressors in Kawal to reduce, several individuals of M. lacei, germinated from seed collected allowing tigers to gradually recolonize the area. To facilitate in Jinping County in but, with the exception of one indi- immigration into the area, the state additionally enforced vidual that flowered in , they have not flowered or fruited. protection measures in the , km forested corridor Urgent measures need to be taken to protect this rare spe- linking Kawal to the neighbouring Tadoba-Andhari Tiger cies of Magnoliaceae, and therefore Kunming Botanical Reserve, with stepping-stones of tiger breeding territory Garden is now going to establish in situ conservation for M. along the way. lacei and study its reproductive biology. To elucidate the spe- WCS India and Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society cies’ conservation status fully, further surveys are required in have been working in close coordination with a team ap- south-western China, Myanmar and northern Vietnam, and pointed by the Forest Department to monitor tigers in also in other areas of its potential range, such as Laos. Kawal and its corridors. Following a recorded tiger dispersal into the Kawal corridor area in , these organizations in- LEI CAI,ZHILING DAO and WEIBANG SUN Kunming Botanical itiated a citizen-science programme in which c. local Garden, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of community volunteers residing in and around the corridor Sciences, Kunming, China. E-mail [email protected] were integrated into tiger monitoring and conservation.
Oryx, 2017, 51(2), 203–207 © 2017 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605317000126 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.226, on 03 Oct 2021 at 03:10:07, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605317000114