Acianthera compressicaulis

Haiti is said to be one of the most deforested countries in the world: its forest cover, the majority of which consists of moist forest, has been reduced or degraded by at least 97% (Black 2004), due to agriculture, logging for firewood and urban expansion. This is likely to continue as deforestation increases soil erosion from flooding, increasing the need to convert more fertile forested land for agriculture, thus continuing the cycle. The area surrounding the three specimens in Haiti is mostly covered by villages and other cultivated and managed areas, with very little forest, which means that this particular population of this species is at high risk of becoming extinct.

One specimen was found within the Parque Nacional Jose del Carmen Ramirez, which is not on the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) 2009 database and so whose protection level is unknown, but which is experiencing increasing levels of illegal squatting (Pariser 1994). Still, the population of this species in this area may be protected to some extent. In Hispaniola overall there are very few protected areas; in Haiti these constitute just 0.3% of the total land area (EarthTrends 2006); the Dominican Republic has a larger percentage of protected land area, but it seems that the taxon is more prevalent in Haiti so it may not be found in these areas. It has not previously been assessed, and is not known to be cultivated. It is listed (as part of Orchidaceae) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Appendix II. More research is needed on its range and distribution and the protection of extant populations is advisable.