Campylocentrum spannagelii

Epiphytes have experienced dramatic population decreases mainly because of habitat loss and extraction activities, which have driven many species close to extinction (Mondragon et al. 2006). Around 67% of the Cerrado ecoregion has been either completely converted or modified in a major way (Da Silva 2001). In contrast, only 1% of the total area of the Cerrado ecoregion is protected in parks or reserves. Most of the large-scale human modification in the Cerrado took place in the last 50 years. The construction of Brasília, the building of several highways and the development of large scale agriculture has led to the loss of a huge amount of natural habitat in the last 50 years. This orchid has only been collected within gallery forest. The ability of the taxon to regenerate and persist in disturbed and secondary vegetation is unknown. Small sized isolated populations are likely to have a small genetic variability and are particularly subject to inbreeding and genetic drift and more vulnerable to demographic and environmental stochasticity (Filho and Leme 2006). It could, as a very rare orchid, be the subject of unscrupulous collectors. Collecting orchids from natural sources is still very common in Brazil in spite of prohibitions of international commerce of species collected in the wild (Saddi et al. 2005).

It is not known whether this orchid was collected, or occurs, within any of the conservation units in the north of Brasilia, such as Brasilia national Park, Panalto Central Environmental Protection Area or Bacia do Rio San Bartolemeu Environmental Protection area. This orchid is currently listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), giving strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with the survival of the species in the wild. Field surveys need to be conducted north of Brasilia and within gallery forest fragments in the Cerrado to determine the current range and population size of this orchid and to clarify its conservation status. The potential occurrence in Minas Gerais (Da Silva et al. 2006) needs to be confirmed. The biology and ecology of this orchid should be studied, especially mycorrhizal association and pollination. Micropropagation protocols should be designed for population reinforcement, for in-vitro preservation and to alleviate the potential pressure of extraction on the wild population. If possible, seeds should be collected and stored for germplasm conservation. Removal of any individuals may represent a great loss of genetic diversity. Raising awareness on the risk of extinction faced by these epiphytic orchids in the wild is important. This orchid should not be removed from the wild. It does appear to have remained in cultivation ex situ by orchid enthusiasts.