Afrothismia kupensis

This species is known from Mt. Kupe in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, where only two collections have been made. Forest clearance for small scale timber production and small-holder agriculture is a threat at both localities, and the intensity is greater at altitudes of 800 to 1,100 m asl (Stone et al. 2008, Onana and Cheek 2011). Many small villages surround Mt. Kupe and on the east side of the mountain, clearance for subsistence agriculture has reached 1,500 m asl (Cheek et al. 2019). Given that this species is thought to occur at elevations between 800 and 1,200 m asl, it is likely to have been impacted by the agriculture expansion in the Mt. Kupe area and is likely to be further affected in the future. The collection of non-timber forest products by the people of Kupe village, primarily for household consumption, is ongoing and could have impacts on this herb (Ngane et al. 2012). Agro-industrial plantations may also threaten this species and it has been collected near to oil palm concessions (Global Forest Watch 2021). The forest on the mountain holds great traditional significance to the Bakossi people, who are invested in protecting it, and it has previously been in the process of being gazetted as an Integrated Ecological Reserve (Wild et al. in Cheek et al. 2004); however, this seems to have been unsuccessful so far.

There are currently no known ex situ conservation sites for this species (BGCI 2021) and it does not occur within any formally protected areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2021). The local community of Kupe village has previously been engaged in protecting the forest where this species is found, however, this management has been difficult to continue due to conflict in the area (Cheek et al. 2019).