Musa flaviflora

Within the native range of the species, forestry is the dominant driver of tree cover loss (GFW 2019) and the region has witnessed excessive logging historically (Chatterjee 2008). Other drivers of this land use change are shifting cultivation (jhum), encroachment for grazing, and an increase in commercial agricultural plantations, especially in the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys of Assam (Chatterjee 2008). However, the specific impact of deforestation on members of the Musa genus 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). Although within its native range, there has been a loss of about 10% of forest cover between 2001 and 2018 (GFW 2019), 64% of northeast India is under forest cover (Chatterjee 2008) and it is suspected that large tracts of pristine forest habitat remain. Very little is known about the habitat and ecological preferences of M. flaviflora so it is difficult to infer whether the species is tolerant of disturbed habitat. As such, research into the threats affecting the species, as well as its ecological requirements, is recommended.

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). The species is held in ex situ conservation at the Botanical Survey of India, Arunachal Pradesh Regional Center in Itanagar (R. Gogoi and S. Borah pers. obs. 2017), but it is not known to be represented in ex situ conservation elsewhere (Ruas et al. 2017, BGCI 2019, Genesys Global Portal on Plant Genetic Resources 2019). As such, gathering of further wild germplasm material for ex situ conservation from extant wild plants is recommended. Musa flaviflora has not been collected from any protected areas, although it was collected in close proximity to the 140.3 km² Itanagar Sanctuary; however, its range overlaps with multiple protected areas and it is suspected to occur within some of these (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2019).