Mezoneuron, Desfontaines, 1818

Clark, Ruth P. & Gagnon, Edeline, 2015, A revision of Mezoneuron (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in New Caledonia, with perspectives on vegetation, geology, and conservation, Phytotaxa 207 (1), pp. 68-92 : 86

Conservation of Mezoneuron in New Caledonia

As described in the preliminary conservation assessments carried out here, all species of Mezoneuron in New Caledonia are threatened to some degree: M. schlechteri is considered Vulnerable, M. baudouinii and M. montrouzieri as Endangered, and M. ouenensis and M. rubiginosum as Critically Endangered. Few of the localities of Mezoneuron species are in protected areas: according to the locality data, M. baudouinii may occur in the protected areas of Thy, Mt. Mou, and Yaté, and M. schlechteri in the protected areas of Rivière Bleu, Thy, Mt. Panié, and Yaté ( Jaffré et al. 1998). The known localities of M. montrouzieri , M. ouenensis , or M. rubiginosum do not correspond to any protected areas. To safeguard the future of all species of Mezoneuron in New Caledonia, efforts should be made to create new protected areas, or extend existing ones, to encompass the species. This is particularly true in the cases of M. montrouzieri , and M. ouenensis , which are found in maquis or sclerophyllous forest, the two most threatened vegetation types in New Caledonia ( Jaffré et al. 1998). M. baudouinii and M. rubiginosum , although occurring in the less threatened rainforest vegetation, are represented by few known populations, and therefore also merit greater protection than they currently receive.