Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Caribbean archipelago is a global biodiversity hotspot, with high levels of endemism and a threatened flora. The British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands, two archipelagos situated in the Caribbean Sea are no exception. Despite many decades of floristic investigation, continuing botanical surveys across the region are uncovering previously unrecorded plant populations and improving our understanding of the geographic ranges of locally restricted threatened flora. This study aims to re-evaluate the latest conservation status of Eugenia stirpiflora by examining its current spatial distribution, population numbers, main threats and conservation actions needed to ensure the species' long term survival. NEW INFORMATION: Thought to be endemic to the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), E. stirpiflora (Myrtaceae), was discovered on the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in 2020, extending its geographic range to a new territory. Despite this wider distribution, the species' extent of occurrence (20 km(2)) and area of occupancy (12 km(2)) are still highly restricted. On St. John (USVI), this species is recorded from Europa Bay, including the White Cliffs area, Minna Hill and Upper John's Folly. On Virgin Gorda, the species is only known from Fanny Hill, north of Gorda Peak. The total number of mature individuals ranges between 1,535 and 1,665, with the species' largest population occurring on Europa Bay (St. John) with a number of mature individuals between 1,500 and 1,630. On the island of Virgin Gorda, the species' habitat is declining due to expansion of urban development and uncontrolled grazing by feral ungulates. On St. John, the suitable habitat and the number of individuals are declining due to grazing by free-roaming livestock and feral ungulates, illegal trail clearing and insect pests. Based on these threats, two locations were recognised. Simultaneously, prolonged periods of drought, caused by climate change, are affecting both locations uniformly. This species, previously evaluated on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered (CR) under its synonym, Eugenia earhartii, is here re-evaluated as Endangered (EN), based on Criteria B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v); C2a(ii) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.