Agave missionum

This species is exposed to several threats. Throughout its range, an introduced invasive insect pest, the Agave Snout Weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus), attacks mature individuals by feeding on its leaves and boring into the bole of the plant causing the premature death of the entire individual before flowering. This threat makes this species vulnerable in the recruitment stage, since the plants from this species only set flower once in their lifespan, therefore, if the plants don't flower, the sexual reproduction is not successful. The weevil was first recorded on Puerto Rico in 2009 (Setliff and Anderson 2011) and it has been observed in the British Virgin Islands by the assessors causing severe declines of the plant. On the Island of Anegada, the assessors also observed the species being grazed and killed by feral livestock, mainly goats. Additionally, the Caribbean dry forest in the Puerto Rican Bank, where this species occurs, has been continuously affected by urban development and human recreation activities, degrading and fragmenting its natural habitat. All threats are ongoing.

This species is found in several protected areas within its natural range. In Puerto Rico, it occurs in Guánica State Forest, the Culebra Wildlife Refuge and within the boundaries of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge. In BVI, it has been recorded from Cam Bay National Park, Great Tobago National Park, Spring Bay National Park, Shark Bay National Park and Prickly Pear National Park. It also occurs within the boundaries of St John National Park, in the US Virgin Islands. There are ex situ collections held at the J.R. O'Neal Botanic Gardens on Tortola, BVI, at Kew's Tropical Nursery and Kew's Millennium Seed Bank which are both in the UK. These ex situ collections were all derived from Anegada source material. Urgent action is needed to secure ex situ collections from across the species range before it is too late and genetic diversity is lost. The species needs urgent monitoring throughout its range in order to gather evidence on the full impact of the invasive Agave snout weevil on the plant population and its possible future reproductive ability and to determine action needed to mitigate this threat.