Arisaema maxwellii

Conversion of forest for agriculture and settlement, as well as frequent fires, are prevalent threats to the Central Indochina dry forests and Kayah-Karen montane rain forests ecoregions, where this species is found. In areas such as northern Thailand, where previously nomadic tribal peoples have been settled, pressure exists to convert forest into more intensive agricultural land devoted to cash crops such as cabbage, coffee, and lychee. Opium replacement efforts have compelled local people to grow alternative crops that need more cultivated land area and higher pesticide inputs. The land needs of an increasing population have forced itinerant farmers to reduce the cycle of cultivation-fallow periods and have pushed them deeper into the forest and into more marginal areas.

About a third of the Kayah-Karen mountain rain forests ecoregion has been cleared or degraded, however 28 protected areas cover almost 20% of its area (23,500 km²). However, many of these protected areas are threatened. Several settlements have been built within the boundaries of the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park (where it has been collected) since it was designated a national park. Agricultural intensification, introduction of exotic plant species, urban development, recreation and tourism, and selective logging are threats facing this national park, many of which are compounded by the site's proximity to Chiang Mai city. The vegetation has been greatly modified at mid-elevations, where large areas of hill evergreen forest have been cleared for shifting cultivation; consequently this altitudinal band now supports a mosaic of grassland, scrub and secondary growth (BirdLife 2008). Pha Ngam Cave in Chae Son National Park, where the type collection of this species was collected, is regularly visited by tourists and trampling and plant collecting may be problems there.

There has been a recent increase in interest for cultivating Arisaema species (D. Roberts pers. comm. 2008) and harvesting from the wild may be a threat for this species.

Subpopulations of this species are known from two national parks in Thailand, namely Doi Suthep-Pui and Chae Son (Jae Sawn), which cover 280 and 780 km² respectively. The type collection was made from Chae Son in 1996. Although threats within the protected areas are known to exist, at least 1,000 km² of its habitat is under some form of protection. The species is cultivated in the Leiden Botanical Garden. No seed is currently stored in the Millennium Seed Bank, UK.