Buchanania barberi (Buchanania barberi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 180519970

Conservation of Endemic and Critically Endangered Buchanania barberi in India

Buchanania barberi Gamble belongs to family Anacardiaceae is a small evergreen tree (15 meter) endemic to Southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The species was previously reported only from its type locality but now it is only known from along Vamanapuram river. Our recent survey of the Palode region (Thiruvananthapuram district), where the species was last reported, found just four trees. Two of the trees are mature and two juvenile. The species is on the verge of extinction due to low fruit production, seed dormancy, low seed germination, no record of seedling establishment, and impact of road expansion and development programmes (Dhyani & Anilkumar 2017). The species has a very small area of occupancy and population size, thus globally assessed as Critically Endangered on IUCN Red List. B. barberi occurs in the restricted area of Thiruvananthapuram district, Southern Western Ghats of Kerala, a division of the Western Ghats, India. 

 

In this context the present projects aims to  

1. To conduct survey and identify Buchanania barberi distribution, population size, habitat characterization, threats to determine conservation status in Southern Western Ghats.

2. To collect and store seeds of this rare species in the seed bank of JNTBGRI. 

3. To identify seed dormancy, develop methods to overcome it and produce seedlings in greenhouse at JNTBGRI.

4. To examine the feasibility of augmentation, seedlings of B. bareri will be transplanted to the near natural habitat at JNTBGRI. 

5. Develop an environment education campaign with local community and stakeholders. 

Reference

Dhyani A, C Anilkumar. (2017). Urgent conservation of Buchanania barberi (Anacardiaceae) in Kerala, India. Oryx. 51(4), 584. 

Project documents

• Project Final Technical Report 2020
• Dhyani A, Bindu S, Abinlal KC, Anilkumar C (2022). Reintroduction of Buchanania barberi, a critically endangered tree endemic to the south Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Plants People Planet. 1-6.
• Dhyani A, Abinlal KC, Bindu J, et al. (2022). Buchanania barberi, a tree on the edge of extinction. The Encyclopedia of Conservation, Vol. 1. Elsevier, pp 744-750
• Dhyani A. (2021). Back from the Brink: Buchanania barberi in India. BGjournal-Journal of Botanic Gardens Conservation International. 18(2) 8-10.
• Dhyani A. (2020). Case study of Buchanania barberi. Sharrock S (2020) Plant Conservation Report 2020: A review of progress in implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011-2020. S
• Buchanania barberi community awareness poster
• Buchanania barberi. The IUCN Red List assessment
• Dhyani A, C Anilkumar. (2017). Urgent conservation of Buchanania barberi (Anacardiaceae) in Kerala, India. Oryx. 51(4), 584.




Project 180519970 location - India, Asia