Photo 3.12
The Bottle Palm Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (Critically Endangered) endemic to Round Island, Mauritius, almost went extinct. Numbers declined to just seven individuals because of the lack of regeneration due to the impacts of introduced goats and rabbits. An effective eradication programme resulted in the removal of all the goats and rabbits by the late 1980s. An active seed-planting programme is now helping the recovery of this species, and it is widely cultivated worldwide.
Photo: © Wendy A. Strahm.