Musa bukensis

Between 1972 and 2002, Bougainville recorded a 34% loss in forest cover, attributed primarily to the impact of civil war on the island between 1988 and 1997 (Shearman et al. 2009). The residual effects of the Panguna mine operation, particularly the disposal of riverine tailings, are also suspected to have caused a decline in the quality of habitat for a number of years after its closure in 1989 (Miranda et al. 2003); it is not clear whether toxicity remains persistent in the environment, nor the extent to which it effects this species. Since 2001, the rate of loss of forest cover has slowed, with decreases of 5.6% and 6.9% in the Central and Southern Bougainville areas, respectively; subsistence agriculture has been identified as the predominant driver of this loss (GFW 2020). The impact of deforestation on members of the Musa genus, though, is somewhat difficult to quantify: while clear-felling or land conversion is likely to be detrimental to the species, wild bananas spring up in transient, often man-made, habitats and thus may benefit from human disturbance to some extent (Simmonds 1962). M. bukensis has commonly been found growing along roadsides, and may benefit from the increased presence of roads on the island as disturbances to the rainforest may permit germination of dormant seeds below the leaf litter (S. Janssens pers. comm. 2019, J. Daniells pers. comm. 2020); on this basis, it is thought that industrial-scale land conversion is more likely to constitute a threat to the species than the smaller-scale disturbances apparent today. Following recent expeditions to Bougainville, it is reported that the species no longer appears to be subject to any major threats (G. Sachter-Smith pers. comm. 2019, S. Janssens pers. comm. 2019).

The genus Musa is listed in Annex I of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) which aims to guarantee sustainable agriculture and food security through the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use (FAO 2009). A single germplasm accession of wild origin is held by the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Papua New Guinea (Ruas et al. 2017). Germplasm is also stored at Meise botanic gardens (S. Janssens pers. comm. 2020). As part of the Banana Collecting Mission in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville 2016, seed was collected from wild M. bukensis plants, and individuals were planted on a dedicated plot in Arawa as part of an on-site conservation initiative (Sardos et al. 2017); M. bukensis plants native to Bougainville were also grown on the N.G.B.F. experimental ground in Lae (Argent 1976). The species is not known from any official protected areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2020) but the higher elevation areas in the vicinity of the Panguna mine are now considered to be quite well protected (G. Sachter-Smith pers. comm., 2019). It is not known to be represented in the living collections of any botanical gardens (BGCI 2020). As such, gathering of wild germplasm material for ex situ conservation from extant wild plants is a conservation priority.