Known in Haitian Creole as Zabriko Mawon meaning “wild apricot,” Ekman’s Magnolia has large showy white flowers that attract native beetle pollinators. It’s one of five species of magnolia found in Haiti, and it’s found only in the Massif de la Hotte on the Tiburon Peninsula, a hotspot for endemic species in the Caribbean country.
Haiti is the unfortunate poster-child for deforestation and desertification, having seen its forest cover fall from 60% in the 1920s to less than 0.5% today. If those current trends continue, Haiti could lose its remaining primary forests within the next decade—along with the Ekman’s Magnolia and many other wildlife found nowhere else on Earth.
Most of the forests where Ekman’s Magnolias once grew have been cut for farming and fuel. Where the once-forested watersheds have been destroyed, poor rural communities are facing further threats from landslides, water shortages and flash flooding.
Despite the ongoing political instability and crime in Haiti, conservationists are making impressive headway with local communities to protect the last forest fragments as well as restoring and replanting the denuded slopes. They have developed effective techniques for propagating Ekman’s Magnolias, which means that these rare and important trees can now be incorporated into the reforestation program.
At a glance
Taxa
Plants
Geography
Haiti
Status
Critically Endangered
Habitat
Tropical cloud forest
Estimated Population
Low hundreds
Threats
Deforestation and logging for charcoal and agriculture; wildfires; free-ranging livestock; invasive alien plants; landslides
Potential Recovery Actions
Reforestation; invasive species control; tree nurseries; protected area creation and management; community engagement
