CR

Blakea acostae

Declining

Overview

Blakea acostae is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Blakea acostae faces severe threats from ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its extremely limited range in Costa Rica's montane cloud forests. Agricultural expansion, particularly coffee cultivation and cattle ranching, continues to encroach upon the remaining forest fragments where this endemic shrub persists. The species' restricted distribution makes it exceptionally vulnerable to localized habitat destruction, with even small-scale clearing events potentially eliminating entire subpopulations.

Threat summary

Habitat

Blakea acostae is endemic to the montane cloud forests of Costa Rica's Cordillera de Talamanca, occurring at elevations between 1,800-2,400 meters. This specialized shrub requires the consistently humid, fog-shrouded conditions characteristic of these high-altitude tropical forests, growing in the understory and forest edges of primary and well-developed secondary cloud forest.

Other threatened species in MELASTOMATACEAE

VU

Brachyotum angustifolium

Unknown
CR

Blakea steyermarkii

Declining
VU

Gravesia pulchra

Declining
VU

Blakea calycularis

Declining

Threatened in Ecuador

EN

Puya fastuosa

Unknown
VU

Diospyros esmereg

Declining
VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Blakea acostae classified as Critically Endangered?
Blakea acostae 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. Blakea acostae faces severe threats from ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation within its extremely limited range in Costa Rica's montane cloud forests. Agricultural expansion, particularly coffee cultivation and cattle ranching, continues to encroach upon the remaining forest fragments where this endemic shrub persists. The species' restricted distribution makes it exceptionally vulnerable to localized habitat destruction, with even small-scale clearing events potentially eliminating entire subpopulations.
Where does Blakea acostae live?
Blakea acostae occurs in Ecuador. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Blakea acostae?
The main threats to Blakea acostae are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.