Format: ORAL

Thomas Abeli1,2, Sarah M. Mller3, Siegmar Seidel3

1 Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy 2 IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada 3 Rwanda Centre and Office for Africa Cooperation, University of Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany

Nymphaea thermarum is a small waterlily endemic to Rwanda that is being assessed as extinct in the wild since 2010. The species has been rediscovered in July 2023 not far from its locus classicus. We report on the rediscovery of N. thermarum, identify the current and potential threats for the wild populations, namely mining and overharvesting by collectors, respectively and provide a list of urgent conservation measures and research required to save the species from re-extinction. The species occupies small muddy ditches fed by hot springs water use to water Avocado plantations and fish pools. The population counts hundreds of individuals including adult reproducing plants and seedlings. In the short term, important conservation actions should include land protection, negotiation to ensure that enough water is reaching the habitat of N. thermarum and the reassessment of the species against the IUCN Categories and Criteria to update its status. In a new formal IUCN assessment, the species would quality as Critically Endangered. In the medium-term the creation of a nature reserve, the restoration of the areas already affected by mining and the reintroduction of N. thermarum to its original site, would place the species into a better position for its long-term in situ conservation.