Category : Endangered Species | Location : International | Posted on 2022-08-04 03:30:47
A conservation team has rediscovered a native magnolia tree in a forest in Haiti for the first time since it was lost to science in 1925.
Boasting pure white flowers and uniquely shaped leaves, the northern Haiti magnolia (Magnolia emarginata) was found originally in the forest of Morne Colombo, which has since been destroyed by deforestation. It was considered endangered and featured on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, and its discovery has sparked new hope for the potential rewilding of Haiti’s forests.
As a result of the rapid decline of forest space – only 1% of the country’s original forest remains – many native plants now only grow in inaccessible mountains or ravines. Suspecting that the magnolia could survive in elevated habitats, a team from the Haiti National Trust travelled to Massif du Nord, Haiti’s longest mountain range, in search of the elusive plant.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/03/magnolia-species-lost-to-science-for-97-years-rediscovered-in-haiti
