Background

According to the most recent synthesis of knowledge on the flora of São Tomé & Príncipe (STP), around 930 plant species were recorded from these islands, among which a bit more than 800 were native and a hundred are strict endemics to the archipelago. Unfortunately, native plant populations and vegetation of STP have been strongly impacted since the discovery of the islands and is nowadays increasingly threatened by human pressures linked to the development of agro-industrial plantations, demand for timbers and touristic activities. Implementing effective conservation activities for protecting the native flora and vegetation in STP was difficult because of a lack of unified database documenting species distribution and unknown and/or outdated evaluation of species extinction risk following categories and criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. The KBA Programme supports the identification, mapping, monitoring and conservation of KBAs to help safeguard the most critical sites for nature on our planet. KBAs can support strategic decisions on protected areas by governments or civil society towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The network of Key Biodiversity Areas of STP include 7 terrestrial areas and cover 512 km² (i.e. around 50% of STP) but its delimitation did not take into account plant biodiversity and vegetation distribution. Limited resources hampered the characterization and dynamics of plant diversity in STP. Two herbaria exist, one on each island, but remain underused because of lacking logistics, appropriated materials, and trained botanists/field technicians with skills in specimen collection. Based on this ascertainment, a multipartners project has been funded by the The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund through the CEPF grant #104130. This project first aimed to identify threatened plant species using categories and criteria of IUCN, characterize their distribution, habitat and threats they are facing, based on these data, reassess the network of Key Biodiversity Areas of STP and train local botanists and technicians and equip the two herbarias (ST and P). This Red List book aims to provide an overview of the endemic species that were assessed during this project.