ENDANGERED VEGETAL SPECIES, THEIR DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE ECOSYSTEMS IN WHICH THEY OCCUR

Abstract

In Mexico, the official Mexican standard (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010) lists wild animal and vegetal endangered species but does not specify their geographical distribution. As a basis for the development of conservation plans in the state of Chihuahua, it is important to identify the plants included in this standard and other species that should be incorporated in it due to their restricted distribution and rarity, as well as the conservation status of the ecosystems in which they occur. Within this context, a database containing approximately 4 000 plant species in the state was revised, the available literature was consulted, and visits were made to several herbariums. A total of 195 taxa were documented –59 of them with a status according to the NOM-059 standard–, belonging to 40 genera and 21 families, of which 19 species are endemic for Mexico. Besides, 31 taxa of 23 genera and 9 families are proposed to be studied and for assessment of their potential incorporation to the standard, as they are local endemisms or unique registers for Mexico. The incorporation of 105 species which belong to 76 genera and 37 families and are considered as rare is suggested. Forests and grasslands have the highest number of species with a status and the largest surface with secondary vegetation, which indicates that these ecosystems show various degrees of deterioration. Population studies of the proposed species are required in order to formulate conservation and sustainable management strategies for the ecosystems in which they occur.