Puya pachyphylla

The species is recorded as being affected by intensive grazing by sheep, which could decrease seed production (Vasquez and Ibisch 2007). This species occurs at higher elevations (2,000 to 2,500 m asl) in the Santa Cruz department, Bolivia. The village of Santa Ana is surrounded by dry valleys in which this species grows. However, there is evidence of roads and agriculture emanating from Santa Ana and encroaching on this species' habitat (Google Earth 2022). In the period between 1986 to 2019, the percentage of shrubland and rocky outcrop habitat in the department of Santa Cruz reduced from 15.8% to 14.4%. It is predicted that by the year 2050, this figure will fall to 9.3%. While areas of natural habitat in Santa Cruz are diminishing, areas of anthropic activity are increasing rapidly. In 1986, 2.9% of Santa Cruz was populated by humans. By 2019, humans inhabited 16.9% of Santa Cruz. By 2050, it is predicted that 55.3% of Santa Cruz will be occupied by human activities (Maillard et al. 2020).

The only known occurrence of this species is within the Rio Grande Valles Crucenos Natural Integrated Management Area. However, the plants here are recorded as being affected by severe grazing (Vasquez and Ibisch 2007). This suggests that the species is still affected by threats despite being located in a protected area. The seeds of this species are not currently held by any seed bank (Genesys 2022) and there are no records of ex situ collections worldwide (BGCI 2022).