Reintroduction of Pseudophoenix sargentii in the Florida Keys

Lippincott, Carol

Author Introduction: This is an article about restoring wild palms in their wild places. As a horticulturist, I delight in the cultivation of palms from around the world. As an ecologist, I live with a profound sense of loss, knowing that some palm species may exist only in gardens, their natural habitats destroyed. As former Curator of Endangered Species at Fairchild Tropical Garden, I know that botanic gardens are more than just pretty places. Palm collections such as Fairchild's provide a tantalizing example of the diversity of palms that have evolved in dynamic natural systems. Yet palms grown in the controlled simplicity of a garden are at an evolutionary dead-end. Therefore the collections and scientific resources of botanic garden should be used to re-establish rare palms in appropriate natural habitats, where species can continue to evolve with a myriad of mingling plants and animals. Reintroduction of plants into conservation areas is becoming a more common practice in efforts to prevent extinction of endangered species (Falk and Olwell 1992). Transplanting of an endangered species might take place if a site is being cleared and the plants would otherwise be destroyed, or for restoration of a wild population that has dwindled due to human activities. While championing endangered species reintroductions, I do not advocate jaunts into the woods to add to the flora of all area or to spread around species which one personally thinks should be more abundant. The motive for reintroduction should be more than an impulsive urge to right a wrong. Reintroduction should be a carefully planned and documented experiment in restoring a lost or abused member species in a native plant community. Scientific staff of The Nature Conservancy. an international conservation organization that manages numerous nature preserves, recently developed an elegantly simple dichotomous key to help in deciding when species reintroduction are appropriate (Gordon 1994). First, is the species ready threatened? Are there protected populations? b there protected habitat within the known range of the species? Has the original cause of Species decline been identified and eliminated? Are verifiable and legal propagules available? Is site management within the requirements or tolerance of the species? These questions will be addressed in the following description of a relatively straightforward reintroduction project for a threatened palm species in south Florida. While not the perfect model., it is an example of a stepwise process that we hope will result in a thriving and self·sustaining palm population in the wild.

Reintroduction of Pseudophoenix sargentii in the Florida Keys

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