Conserving Jamaica's Wild Cherry, Malpighia proctorii Vivaldi (Malpighiaceae)

Abstract

Jamaica's rich biodiversity is facing threats from anthropogenic and natural sources which can lead to adverse impacts on habitats as well as on species directly resulting in species loss. With Jamaica's high level of endemism in seed plants which is estimated at approximately 32.4% (Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong, 2012), it is critical that actions are implemented to counter these threats and ultimately protect this biodiversity and reduce the risk of species extinction. The main custodian of the environment is the National Environment and Planning Agency with whom all other conservation-oriented organizations collaborate with in various ways to facilitate, improve and achieve sustainable use of Jamaica's natural resources and the survival of the island's most threatened species. Consequently, multifaceted approaches have been taken to achieve the protection and conservation of Jamaica's rare and endemic species through the actions of various governmental, research and non-governmental institutions who play different and integral roles in the broad scope of plant conservation. This paper focuses on some of the actions taken so far that pertain to the conservation of one of Jamaica's endemic species Malpighia proctorii, which is also listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It examines the successes, failures and posits further work and direction needed to ensure the species survival.