Aloe bellatula

In the past, the main threat to this species used to be illegal collecting in their natural habitat and fires for grazing cattle. Since the establishment of a new protected area in this site, the threats have decreased significantly. However, even though the site is protected and managed by Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, some activities such illegal mining, and wild and intentional fires for grazing still happen within this protected area and could affect the species, if it still exists there.

Aloe bellatula is listed in Appendix I of CITES (CITES 2019). The species only known site is located within the Protected Area in Itremo; it is found in 61 ex-situ collections outside Madagascar (BGCI 2018). The species is known only at Itremo and Amborompotsy and further research is needed to establish if the species occur in other areas. Castillon and Castillon (2010) mentioned that the species could be the same as Aloe perrieri which occurs farther in the south so species revision should be done in the future. Seeds also should be collected and banked to insure its long term conservation. So we recommend to undertake studies about population and threats.