Species Conservation

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Caribbean pine in northern Guatemala

Caption:Camcore's Elmer Gutiérrez (R) and assistant pose near old Pinus caribaea tree in the small, isolated stand of El Pinal, Guatemala, located in the northern part of the country. Camcore made a second seed collection in the 180-hectare stand in 2001

Camcore has a number of ongoing conservation projects. In 2001, Camcore made a seed collection in a remote population of Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis) located in the department of Petén, Guatemala. This stand, called El Pinal, is only 180 hectares in size and is located only a few kilometers from the old Mayan ruins of Tikal. El Pinal is 65 km from the next nearest Caribbean pine stand in the highlands of Belize. What makes El Pinal unique is that the trees occupy a low area in a seasonal swamp where fires are infrequent. Broadleaf vegetation appears to be out-competing the pines at El Pinal, raising a number of interesting questions about the origin of Pinus caribaea and its method of regeneration in the absence of fires. Some researchers suggest that this stand was planted by the Mayan Indians long ago to have a source of pines close to Tikal. Camcore plans to further study the ecology of El Pinal and to plant ex situ conservation banks in several areas of Latin America.

Caption: Natural stand of Pinus maximinoi in Guatemala

Pinus maximinoi

For the last 15 years Camcore has studied Pinus maximinoi, an interesting pine native to Mexico and Central America. We are currently assessing the reproductive biology of the species in hopes to better conserve it. Most pines have a reproductive cycle of 22 to 24 months, but our work in natural stands in Guatemala and plantations in Colombia now shows P. maximinoi to have a cycle of only 12 to 14 months. The adaptive advantage of a short reproductive cycle needs to be better assessed. Furthermore, Camcore and researchers at the University of Georgia and the University of Western Kentucky are working together to better quantify the levels of genetic diversity in P. maximinoi. Levels of genetic diversity are being assessed using both chemical and molecular markers. Genetic diversity results will be compared to provenance trials results to better determine which populations should be conserved in situ in Mexico and Central America.

Eucalyptus urophylla and Gmelina arborea

Camcore also has ongoing conservation projects with two tropical broadleaf species, Eucalyptus urophylla and Gmelina arborea. Eucalyptus urophylla is native to the eastern islands of Indonesia and Gmelina arborea is found throughout Southeast Asia. Both species have been submitted to differing degrees of fragmentation in their indigenous environment and their future in some localities is questionable. Low elevation stands of these species are increasingly at risk, mainly due to the fertility of these sites for agricultural crops. Click here for a table of conservation status of populations of E. urophylla.

Caption: Disappearing low-elevation Eucalyptus urophylla stands spurred Camcore collections and plantings like this one in Indonesia.	Caption: A Eucalyptus urophylla trial planted in Venezuela established from Camcore collections .
Caption: Gmelina arborea old-growth forests like this one in Myanmar are becoming rare, and collections have been used to establish plantings in other countries.	Caption: Two-year old Gmelina arborea plantation in Indonesia established from seed collected in Myanmar.

Pinus jaliscana

Possibly one of the greatest success stories in terms of explorations and conservation is evident in the Cooperative’s work with Pinus jaliscana. The species was only first described in 1983 in the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico. As recently as the mid-1990s, only 6 populations of this species were known. In a collaborative effort that included Camcore, the University of Guadalajara (Jalisco), and the Forest Genetics Center (Mexico), 4 new populations have now been discovered, increasing the number of known, natural stands to 10. Camcore has assessed these populations using molecular markers and found that the individuals in the center of its 110 km x 50 km geographic range are the most genetically diverse.

Caption: A mixed stand of Pinus ,jaliscana and Pinus maximinoi in Jalisco, Mexico

Caption: Jorge Pérez de la Rosa (L) and Valentin Reyes (R) inspect a cone crop of Pinus jaliscana at Las Trojes, Jalisco, Mexico

This information can be used by local institutions in Mexico to prioritize their in situ conservation work on Pinus jaliscana. For the first time, seeds of P. jaliscana have been planted in other countries by Camcore members to ensure the species survival. These ex situ conservation plantings exist in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa.

Caption: Natural stand of Pachira quinata in the Choluteca Valley, Honduras

Pachira quinata

Pachira quinata (previously known as Bombacopsis quinata) is an important tropical broadleaf species that is native to Central America and northern South America. It is used by local people for a number of different products such as furniture, plywood, and veneer. It grows on sites that receive anywhere from 800 mm to 3500 mm of precipitation per year, but in areas with very well defined dry seasons. Throughout much of its geographic range, P. quinata is very endangered. In Nicaragua, several populations have been destroyed since 1998.

Caption: Close-up of Pachira quinata flower in Colombia

The species produces flowers at an early age and is pollinated by bats. Camcore member Pizano/ Monterrey Forestal has done much of the pioneering work to study the life-cycle of the bats. Their research indicates that the bats are generally very ineffective pollinators, and that seed set in P. quinata is improved by manual (hand) pollination.

Camcore began seed collections of P. quinata in the mid-1980s and has sampled populations in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Venezuela. Conservation banks and field tests have been successfully established in several locations throughout northern South America. Our plans are to reintroduce seeds from existing ex situ plantings into their native habitats.