CR

Afrothismia pachyantha

Declining

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Afrothismia pachyantha faces severe threats from deforestation and agricultural expansion in its limited range within Cameroon's montane forests. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, while logging activities and slash-and-burn agriculture continue to reduce the intact forest cover essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the specific microhabitat conditions this mycoheterotrophic plant requires.

Threat summary

Habitat

Afrothismia pachyantha is endemic to the montane forests of Cameroon, where it grows as a mycoheterotrophic herb in the understory of primary tropical mountain forests. The species requires specific soil conditions and fungal associations found only in undisturbed forest ecosystems at elevations between 1,200-2,000 meters.

Forest· major

Other threatened species in AFROTHISMIACEAE

CR

Afrothismia baerae

Unknown
CR

Afrothismia foertheriana

Unknown
CR

Afrothismia korupensis

Unknown
CR

Afrothismia mhoroana

Declining

Threatened in Cameroon

Curlew SandpiperVU

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
Eisentraut's ShrewVU

Eisentraut's Shrew

Crocidura eisentrauti

Stable
EN

Louisea balssi

Unknown
CR

Dichapetalum letouzeyi

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Afrothismia pachyantha classified as Critically Endangered?
Afrothismia pachyantha is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Afrothismia pachyantha faces severe threats from deforestation and agricultural expansion in its limited range within Cameroon's montane forests. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, while logging activities and slash-and-burn agriculture continue to reduce the intact forest cover essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the specific microhabitat conditions this mycoheterotrophic plant requires.
Where does Afrothismia pachyantha live?
Afrothismia pachyantha occurs in Cameroon. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Afrothismia pachyantha?
The main threats to Afrothismia pachyantha are 12.1, 2.1, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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