Pokemeboy (Acacia anegadensis)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 13257818

Acacia anegadensis is a Critically Endangered plant species, endemic to the British Virgin Islands. Although locally abundant on the island of Anegada, the future of this species is not guaranteed. Its main habitat is under extreme pressure for residential and tourism development. This project will investigate the distribution and genetic diversity of A. anegadensis, which is vital knowledge to inform conservation actions.

The main objectives of this project are:

• to map the precise distribution of A. anegadensis on the islands of Anegada and Fallen Jerusalem;

• to investigate a suspected population on a third island of the British Virgin Islands;
•  to collect herbarium specimens and DNA samples of all known populations for Kew and BVI National Herbaria;
• to determine how genetic diversity of Acacia anegadensis is portioned within and between islands, in order to identify populations with unique genotypes, and evaluate whether translocation of genotypes could contribute to the security of the smallest populations;
• to document all known threats to this species, in order to re-assess the Red List Status of this species, contributing to the achievement of Target 2 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (an assessment of the conservation status of all known species).

Protecting this species habitat is also contributing to conserving the Caribbean dry forest, a biodiversity hotspot and one of the most threatened habitats on Earth.
Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew are working together with the National Parks Trust in BVI to understand and conserve this species and its unique habitat.