Pteris hivaoaensis
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Pteris hivaoaensis faces severe threats from invasive plant species that outcompete native vegetation and alter soil chemistry in its limited montane habitat. Habitat degradation from feral ungulates, particularly goats and pigs, has damaged the understory vegetation where this fern establishes. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns and temperature shifts that could push this high-elevation species beyond its narrow ecological tolerance range.
Habitat
This critically endangered fern is endemic to the montane forests of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. It inhabits shaded understory areas in native cloud forests at elevations between 800-1200 meters, where it grows on volcanic soils with high moisture retention.