Evaluation of the extinction risk of Beaucarnea pliabilis (Asparagaceae) (despeinada or tsiipil), an endemic species of the Yucatan Peninsula

Abstract

Beaucarnea pliabilis, an endemic species from the Yucatán Peninsula, was classified in 1994 as a threatened species under the NOM-059-ECOL-1994 due to its fragile environment and its increasing extraction for commerce. Although ex situ reproduction efforts have been carried out in the past years, habitat destruction has advanced. This study aimed to apply the official methodology (MER, Método de evaluación de riesgo de especies silvestres en México) in order to update the status of the species. Population structure, size and morphological variability were assessed at 6 sites. using open access databases from INEGI to evaluate changes in land use and distribution contrasting current conditions with those present under the previous assessment. Additional data were obtained from herbaria and published accounts. The total value of MER obtained was 2.312, which being above 2, leaves the species as "endangered". The main cause of the reclassification is habitat loss and fragmentation, but also because it is dioecious without clonal reproduction, a condition that hinders its reproduction in the wild.