WHAT DO PLANT RED LISTS TELL US OF PLANT RARITY?
Chua L. S. L.
Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong, 52109 Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: 03-62797223
Email: [email protected]
In worldwide conservation assessments, Malaysia fares badly for the number of plant species in the threatened category, that is, critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN) or vulnerable (VU). Of the 1185 species assessed for the IUCN Red list for Malaysia in 2007, 186 species (15.7%) are listed as critically endangered, while 99 (8.3%) and 403 (34%) species are found to be endangered and vulnerable respectively. Almost all assessments were targeted towards families bearing tree species, ignoring families of non-tree species. Monographs/revisions of families and species, particularly those published in the recent past, have also excluded the conservation status for respective species. Are tree species more vulnerable to threats compared to non-tree species? Results from the early work on the Malaysian red list and conservation monitoring on critically threatened plant species provide a perspective into the underlying issues of conservation priorities.
This research was presented at the CFFPR 2007 Meeting. For more information on FRIM and the CFFPR Meeting, please contact Dr Mohd. Nor Mohd. Yusoff, Senior Director, Forest Products Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Email: [email protected]
