Preventing extinction and improving conservation status of Mesua assamica (King & Prain) Kosterm. - An endangered plant of Assam, India

Abstract

Mesua assamica (King & Prain) Kosterm., commonly known as “Sia- Nahar” in Assamese is an evergreen tree belonging to family Calophyllaceae. The wood of this plant is highly preferred as fuel. However, the plant also records its significance in bearing several pharmaceutical potential components along with several traditional practices by the local people such as fish poisoning, etc. Large scale felling of the tree and clearance of habitats of the plant for extension of arable land for tea plantations and other agricultural activities, the plant has been disappearing at an alarming rate from its natural habitat and has been recorded as endangered to the area. Therefore, conservation of this potential medicinal plant with proper scientific investigation to prevent extinction in its wild habitat is urgently needed. Seed germination under natural conditions was found to be very poor for which a macropropagation protocol was standardized; saplings were raised in experimental nursery and reinforced to locations where the population size is very small in relation to other associated species. Those suitable wild habitats for reinforcement were selected by Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) distribution modelling algorithm developed using environmental parameters and locality data in the natural range of the species. The model predicts the suitable habitats for its reintroduction to ensure its perpetuity. A total of 1000 saplings of M. assamica were reinforced to the field and the rate of survivability was measured over a period of 12 months at an interval of 60 days that revealed 75.5% survivability of the reinforced saplings. This study has proved as an effective method for improving the conservation status of the plant.