Benthamia monophylla

This species is restricted to high altitude ericoid thickets. This vegetation type is only found on the upper slopes of Madagascar's main mountains and there has been a notable degradation of the natural vegetation of this ecoregion over the past century (Crowley 2001). The major threat is conversion to highland cattle pasture and regular fires to stimulate young grass growth (Crowley 2001). Andringitra and Marojejy mountains have the best preserved montane habitats, but cattle grazing is still present at Andringitra (Crowley 2001). Research on the effects of climate change in Madagascar discovered that ericoid thickets are one of the most vulnerable vegetation types, with future predicted losses of species and land cover (Brown et al. 2015).

Most of the known localities for this species are within four protected areas; Andringitra National Park, Andohahela National Park, Itremo National Park and Marojejy National Park. There is one seed collection of this species conserved at Silo National des Graines Forestières in Madagascar and duplicated to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK. Further ex situ conservation is recommended. This species is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES 2016). Surveys for this species at all known sites are recommended to study the current population size and trends.