Musa exotica

The native range for this species falls entirely within the Northern Indochina subtropical forests ecoregion, as delineated by Olson et al. (2001). Forests in Viet Nam have been extensively cleared, and only very small fragments on steep mountainsides remain in this heavily cultivated area (MacKinnon 1997, S. Kallow pers. comm. 2020). The major threats to biodiversity in the Vietnamese part of the ecoregion are presented by land clearing for small-holder cultivation, particularly rice and cinnamon, and logging. Although human population density is low, cultivation in steep and unproductive land accounts for large-scale forest clearing (Carpenter et al. 2001, S. Kallow pers. comm. 2020). More specifically to this species, outside protected areas, most of the natural habitat is under severe human pressure (S. Janssens pers. comm. 2020). Across the suspected extent of occurrence for the species, 11% of tree cover has been lost between 2001 and 2018 (GFW 2020). While there has been negligible land use change within the protected areas of Xuân Sơn National Park and Cúc Phương National Park, in the 10 km unprotected buffer of Cúc Phương, 29.8% of land use comprises cropland (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission 2020). As only two individuals were observed in Cúc Phương National Park on a recent visit (S. Janssens pers. comm., 2020), it is suspected that the subpopulation may also be in decline within the protected area, however, the causes of this are not clear. As the global population is suspected to number very few individuals, research into the specific threats affecting every extant subpopulation is urgently required.

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 M. exotica germplasm accession of wild origin is held by the Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC) in Belgium (Ruas et al. 2017, Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2020). It is not known to be held in any living collections (BGCI 2020). The species has been collected from the 150.48 km² Xuân Sơn National Park and the 224.08 km² Cúc Phương National Park so passive conservation is presumed here (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2020); it is unclear whether active management is apparent. As the species is only known from a few individuals at each collection locality, additional in situ protection measures are required, as well as a species recovery plan. It will also be necessary to effectively communicate the threat status of the species in order to raise awareness. Further collection of germplasm from extant wild populations is also recommended to facilitate ex situ conservation.