This species is very narrowly endemic to Queen Charlotte’s Island and southeast Alaska; it is only known from five locations. This species should be listed because of it’s rarity and very restricted range.
This species is narrowly endemic to Queen Charlotte Islands and southeast Alaska. This is a common distribution pattern that is well documented for other groups of organisms and is likely due to this region being a glacial refugia during the Pleistocene (Hetherington et al. 2003).
No research has been done to document the number and size of B. carlottae populations.
Population Trend: Uncertain
On trees in forested habitats.
The rarity and very narrow distribution of this species makes it susceptible to extinction due to stochastic events. This threat of extinction is exacerbated by climate change and air pollution.
Ensuring that populations of this species are not affected by any human recreation or resource extraction activity is essential. Additionally, it should be listed in the United States as an endangered species and in Canada it should be protected by COSEWIC. Additionally, education and training of land managers and local botanists to identify the species should be conducted, and contracted experts should be hired to conduct detailed monitoring at various time intervals (every 5 to 10 years).
Research on the population size and genetics would greatly enhance our understanding of this species. Additionally, long-term monitoring projects need to be conducted.
Hetherington, R., J. V. Barrie, R. G. B. Reid, R. MacLeod, D. J. Smith, T. S. James, and R. Kung. 2003. Late Pleistocene coastal paleogeography of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, and its implications for terrestrial biogeography and early postglacial human occupation. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 40: 1755-1766.
Brodo, I. M. and D. L. Hawksworth. 1977. Alectoria and allied genera in North America. - Opera Bot. 42: 1-164.
Country | Trend | Redlisted |
---|