Ensete homblei

There has been limited information recorded about the direct impact of threats upon this species. However, almost all collections have been made within the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion, and specimen voucher information refers to this same habitat; as such, the overall threats to miombo woodland across the native range are suspected to be relevant to this species. The major threats to miombo woodland in southeast DRC and northern Zambia are conversion to agricultural land use and the overexploitation of forest resource for production of wood and charcoal (Chidumayo 1987, FAO and the GEF 2013, Mabeta et al. 2018). Urbanisation has also contributed to the loss of miombo habitat. Before the foundation of Lubumbashi in 1910, southeast Katanga was mostly covered with miombo forests; since then, it is estimated that 80% of these forests have disappeared, with an ongoing deforestation rate of approximately 1% per year. In the 1980s, the charcoal supply for Lubumbashi came from miombo forests within 30 km of the city; the population of Lubumbashi has quadrupled since then, and there are now no intact miombo forests in this zone (FAO and the GEF 2013). In Zambia, the estimated rate of conversion of land to urban use is 3.2% per annum, and the annual rate of deforestation is in the range of 1.5–6% (Mabeta et al. 2018). Mining operations are also prevalent in both areas: the southern part of Katanga province is one of the most mineralised zones in the world (FAO and the GEF 2013); in North-Western Province of Zambia, about 350,000 hectares of Protected Forest Areas have been converted to mining concessions, with an expectation of further conversion as more mines open (Mabeta et al. 2018). Ensete homblei is suspected to be rare and has also not yet been collected from protected areas; as such, the vulnerability of the species to threatening processes is suspected to be heightened. Further research into the scope and severity of threats specific to the species is necessary, as well as evaluating the impact that loss of miombo habitat has had, and continues to have, upon the species.

Ensete homblei is not known to have been collected from any protected areas; however, its range overlaps with multiple protected areas in Zambia and the DRC (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2020). If the species does occur within any of these areas, passive conservation is presumed. The species is not known to be represented in ex situ conservation (BGCI 2020, Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2020). As such, gathering of wild germplasm material for ex situ conservation is a conservation priority. In situ habitat protection is also recommended as a conservation measure, given that the species is not known to occur within any protected areas.