Taxonomy
Red List Status -
Endangered (EN) , assessed in 26/10/2018
Patersonia neocaledonica is an endemic perennial geophyte from New Caledonia, where it is only known from two high elevation subpopulation on Mt. Humboldt. It occurs in degraded shrubland or savannah from 900 to 1,350 m asl. This species is threatened by bushfires and feral pigs, which cause habitat degradation, and could also be impacted by trampling by visitors. Its area of occupancy (AOO) and extent of occurrence (EOO) are both estimated at 4 km², and the number of locations is two. Therefore, P. neocaledonica is listed as Endangered (EN) under criteria B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v).
Geographical area
P. neocaledonica is endemic to New Caledonia, where it is only known from a couple of subpopulations on Mt. Humboldt.
Population
Total population size is unknown, but field observations indicate that this species is locally abundant (Gâteblé comm. pers., 2018).
Habitat
This perennial geophyte occurs in high elevation degraded shrubland or savannah on ultramafic substrate, from 900 to 1,350 m asl.
Threats
Main threats to this species include bushfires and grubbing by feral pigs, which both cause habitat degradation. Trampling by visitors could also be an issue since one subpopulation is located close to the Mt. Humboldt shelter. Finally, this high elevation species could potentially be impacted by the effects of climate change in the future (Goldblatt et al., 2011).
Conservation
This species is not protected by legislation in New Caledonia, but it occurs in two overlapping protected areas: the Mt. Humboldt natural reserve and the Côte Oubliée provincial park. This species would benefit from ex situ and in situ emergency conservation actions. It is recommended to monitor and preserve known populations inside delimited areas. It is recommended to inform the local authority responsible for the coordination of the firefighting effort about the presence of the species in the concerned areas. Finally, markings should be set up for the population close to the shelter in order to limit trampling by hikers.
Bibliography
Morat, P.; Jaffré, T.; Tronchet, F.; Munzinger, J.; Pillon, Y.; Veillon, J.-M. and Chalopin, M. 2012. Le référentiel taxonomique Florical et les caractéristiques de la flore vasculaire indigène de la Nouvelle-Calédonie [The taxonomic database « FLORICAL » and characteristics of the indigenous flora of New Caledonia]. Adansonia sér 3(34) , p.177-219.
Goldblatt, P., Manning, J.C., Munzinger, J. & Lowry II, P.P. 2011. A new native family and new endemic species for the flora of New Caledonia: Patersonia neocaledonica sp. nov. (Iridaceae, Patersonioideae), from the Mount Humboldt massif. Adansonia ser. 3(33 (2)) , p.201-208.
Endemia.nc 2016. Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Experts
Assessor(s): Amice, R., Bruy, D., Butin, J., Cazé, H., Dumontet, V., Fleurot, D., Gâteblé, G., Goxe, J., Henry, B., Héquet, V., Lagrange, A., Lannuzel, G., Mandaoué, L., Pillon, Y., Veillon, J.
Reviewer(s): Vandrot, H.
Facilitator(s): Warimavute, G., Meyer, S.