[Science News] – A newly described species already critically endangered: the urgent need to protect the island’s flora

Although islands account for only 3.5% of the world’s land surface, they are home to approximately 15–20% of terrestrial biodiversity. Moreover, nearly 60% of recorded terrestrial extinctions involve island species. Documenting and describing the biodiversity of island ecosystems is therefore a priority for understanding and protecting these particularly fragile environments.

It is within this context that researchers from Meise Botanic Garden, in collaboration with botanists from Mayotte and from the Paris Natural History Museum, contributed to updating the taxonomy of a group of flowering plants from the Comoros Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean: the genus Dombeya.

Their work led to the description of a new species endemic to the summit of a mountain in Mayotte. Barely documented, the species is already considered Critically Endangered. Recognising it as a distinct species should help support the implementation of specific conservation measures, both in its natural habitat (in situ) and through conservation programmes outside its natural environment (ex situ).

This discovery highlights the importance of taxonomic research for the conservation of island biodiversity: identifying and documenting species is an essential first step towards ensuring their long-term protection.

LE PÉCHON T., DIMASSI A. & PIGNAL M. 2026. — Une espèce nouvelle de Mayotte et un synopsis des Dombeya Cav. (Malvaceae) dans l’archipel des Comores. Adansonia 48 (17): 185-196. https://doi.org/10.5252/adansonia2026v48a17.