New distributional records and conservation implications for the threatened Sumatra endemic Nepenthes lavicola Wistuba & Rischer (Nepenthaceae)

Nepenthes lavicola Wistuba & Rischer (Nepenthaceae) is a pitcher plant endemic to the northern tip of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Due to its narrow geographic distribution and threats from a volcanic eruption and illegal harvesting by pitcher plant hunters, N. lavicola was assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) under criteria B1 + 2c of the IUCN Red List in 2000. Here, we report two new additional locations of N. lavicola in Aceh Tengah Re-gency, along with the population data and habitat characteristics of the species in each location. Based on our findings, we propose Endangered (EN) B1ab(iii) + 2ab(iii),C2a(i) as the new conservation status of N. lavicola. The new proposed status has a lower category of threat than the current status of the species. Nevertheless, under the new category, N. lavicola is still considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Comprehensive and immediate conservation actions are required to halt the species from extinction.

Automated summary

Nepenthes lavicola, a pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra Island, Indonesia, is Critically Endangered due to its narrow distribution, volcanic eruption, and illegal harvesting. We report two new locations of N. lavicola in Aceh Tengah Regency, along with population data and habitat characteristics. Based on our findings, we propose a new conservation status for N. lavicola as Endangered, indicating a lower threat category but still facing a high risk of extinction. Urgent conservation actions are needed to prevent its extinction.