Lodoicea maldivica
– Vulnerable
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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PLANTAE
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Phylum:
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TRACHEOPHYTA
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Class:
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LILIOPSIDA
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Order:
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ARECALES
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Family:
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PALMAE
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Scientific Name:
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Lodoicea maldivica
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Species Authority:
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(J. Gmelin) Pers.
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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VU A1cd ver 2.3 (1994)
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Year Assessed:
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1998
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Assessor/s:
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Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles
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History:
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| 1978 | - | Vulnerable (Lucas and Synge 1978) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Famous for its distinctively large double nut, the coco-de-mer occurs naturally only on Praslin and Curieuse Islands and is now extinct on St Pierre, Chauve-Souris and Round Islands. Planted subpopulations occur on Mahé and Silhouette Islands. An important subpopulation at Fond Ferdinand has been burnt repeatedly and the only significant adult subpopulation left is at Vallée de Mai.
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Countries:
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Native:
Seychelles
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Habitat and Ecology
Threats
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Threats:
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The long-term overexploitation of the unusual nuts has virtually wiped out natural recruitment. Fire is another major threat to the species.
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List of Threats:
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| 1.7 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Fires (ongoing) |
| 3 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) (ongoing) |
| 9.2 | Intrinsic factors - Poor recruitment/reproduction/regeneration (ongoing) |
| 10.1 | Human disturbance - Recreation/tourism (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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The species is now protected and the nut trade is legally controlled by the coco-de-mer Management Decree of 1995.
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Gerlach, J. (ed.) 1997. Seychelles Red Data Book - 1997. The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles, Seychelles. Johnson, D. et al. 1997. Completed data collection forms for palms. Lucas, G.L.l. and Synge, H. (compilers) 1978. The IUCN Plant Red Data Book. IUCN, Morges, Switzerland.
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