Bletia ensifolia

Deforestation is a credible threat to this species as its habitat has experienced logging, urbanization and conversion to agricultural land and overgrazing by livestock. In the Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests ecoregion, where this species has mostly been recorded, Valero et al. (2001) estimate that all but 300,000 acres, or about 2%, of the original old-growth forest is gone. It is not known what impact this has had on this species. It is possible, as this species grows on rocky and grassy hillsides that it may tolerate secondary forest.

This species is reported from Bosque La Primavera outside Guadalajara, a protected area with a management plan (Orchid Forum 2009). In 2001, the Mexican government passed a law which prohibits the collection of any orchid species, this includes the collection of wild orchid flowers (NOM-059-ECOL-2001). It is recommended that seeds are collected and stored as part of ex situ conservation measures. Further surveys are needed to establish the population and habitat status of this species. Research is needed to establish its ecological requirements and the specific threats which may be affecting it. Monitoring is needed to detect any declines. It is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES 2007).