Ensete superbum

The species has been collected from multiple protected areas, with a number of occurrences recorded from the 7,953.15 km² Western Ghats World Heritage Site (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2020); passive conservation is presumed here but it is unclear whether active management is apparent. A single germplasm accession is held by the Millennium Seed Bank Project, collected from a subpopulation in Nepal (Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2020). However, it is suspected that Nepal lies outside the native range; as such, no germplasm accessions are held from wild subpopulations growing within the native range. Given this, gathering of wild germplasm material for ex situ conservation in seedbanks is recommended. Ensete superbum is represented in at least 14 living collections in botanical gardens worldwide (BGCI 2020). Although healthy inflorescences are produced by plants cultivated in gardens, they typically fail to produce viable seeds. This limits the utility of ex situ conservation in gardens and highlights the importance of in situ conservation for this species (Saroj et al. 2015, Saroj, K.V. pers. comm. 2017). Regional assessments in India indicate that the species may be widely threatened; E. superbum has been listed variously as very rare, rare, relict, endangered, threatened and as a species of conservation concern (Menon 2002, Saroj et al. 2015), although it should be noted that most of these assessments were not conducted according to IUCN standards and criteria. In a preliminary global assessment, Joe et al. (2016) assessed the species as Least Concern. The most severe threat to the species across its range is considered to be the unregulated harvest of seeds and leaves for medicinal and household use. It is essential that sustainable harvesting methods are communicated to indigenous peoples and the wider scientific community. In areas where populations have already been depleted, site protection is required (Bhise et al. 2015, Saroj et al. 2015).