As some of the world’s most ancient trees, magnolias are popular for their large, fragrant flowers. Over 200 different Magnolia species are found globally, but sadly almost half of these are threatened with extinction. Magnolia grandis has characteristic dark-red, sweet-smelling flowers. As its name implies, the species has huge leathery leaves that grow to over a foot in length. A combination of hot, rainy summers and cool, foggy winters suits these trees, which grow in evergreen forests within limestone mountain valleys. Until recently, Magnolia grandis had been seen only in China in very limited numbers across a few sites. However, surveys conducted by the Global Trees Campaign in 2014-15, revealed previously unknown populations in three protected areas in northern Vietnam.
Family:
Magnoliaceae
Order:
Magnoliales
Est. in the wild:
Fewer than 300 adult trees
Magnolia grandis is found only in southern China and northern Vietnam.
48%
of Magnolia species found globally are threatened with extinction.
Fewer than 250
mature Magnolia grandis trees currently grow in northern Vietnam.
Habitat loss is a major contributing factor in the species’ decline, with illegal logging for the timber trade, along with conversion of forest to rice paddies, farms and pastures, threatening Vietnamese populations. Additionally, cultivation of cardamom in Magnolia grandis habitat impairs the tree’s natural regeneration as farmers remove young seedlings to favour the crop. Although Vietnam’s magnolia populations grow within protected areas, limited law enforcement and management on the ground mean that, realistically, protection for this critically endangered species is minimal.
Plant blindness is one of the main threats to the world's plants. Plants receive far less conservation attention than their animal counterparts, and they are disappearing unnoticed at an alarming rate. Help us to safeguard the species that are the lifeblood of our planet.
Since the species’ discovery in Vietnam, FFI and our local NGO partner, the Centre for Plant Conservation Vietnam, have been working with local communities to protect these threatened trees. Community conservation teams conduct regular patrols across critical Magnolia grandis habitat areas, ensuring protection from further illegal logging activities.
With so few wild individuals remaining, strengthening Magnolia grandis populations is key for reducing extinction risk. Seeds are sown in local nurseries and cared for until ready to be planted in community forests and in cardamom plantations. So far, 90% of the 1,145 seedlings planted have survived, and a further 1,500 seeds have been collected by community conservation teams for future planting.
Fast-growing magnolia trees provide ideal shady conditions for sustainable cardamom crop growth, demonstrating that working with local farmers to help improve livelihoods can go hand in hand with protecting Magnolia grandis populations.
This protection can extend beyond the magnolia trees it is intended for. The world’s largest population of Magnolia grandis shares its home with the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, a critically endangered primate, so efforts to protect the threatened tree population also benefit other species in the same habitat.
“Local people are helping to save Magnolia grandis from extinction in Vietnam. Their work to patrol the species’ habitat is protecting the last trees from logging, and their efforts to plant out seedlings across Tung Vai are providing a vital boost for this critically endangered tree.”
Humans are inextricably linked to the environmental landscape within which our daily lives unfold. We depend completely on nature for a stable climate, clean air and water, and food.
Vietnam is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth, with a huge variety of distinctive and fascinating wildlife including 25 primate species - 11 of which are critically endangered.
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