Format: ORAL

Onja Hariveloniaina Morilline Razanamaro1 , Tonisoa Ranaivoandriamanantena2, Laura Parducci3, Fabio Attorre3, Elisa Rondoni3, Dario La Montagna 3, Alex Byrne4, Barbara Gravendeel5, Ester Sales6, Richard Dominique Randriatsitohaina7, Lalaina Fenosoa Ramiliarisona 7 Juan Viruel4,

1 Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza Rue Fernand Kassanga, Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, 101. Madagascar. 2 Madagasikara Voakajy, Andraisoro BP 5181 Antananarivo 101, MG 3 Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy 4 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. TW9 3DS Richmond, UK 5 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Endless Forms, Leiden, Netherlands and Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands 6 Agrarian and Environmental Sciences Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences (IUCA), University of Zaragoza, High Polytechnic School, Ctra. Cuarte s/n, 22197 Huesca, Spain 7 Département biologie et écologie végétales, Université d’Antananarivo, Madagascar

Adansonia suarezensis, one of the six endemic baobabs in Madagascar, is currently classified as Endangered. Its narrow distribution in the arid areas of N Madagascar is expected to decrease from 1200 km in 2010 to 17 km2 in 2050 due to climate change, and alarming predictions indicated a likely extinction between 2050 and 2080 without intervention or conservation efforts. Madagascar has lost 37% of its natural forest since 1973, and despite the implementation of conservation programs, deforestation rates have increased in the last decade, mainly because population growth and political instability in the country.Ex situ and in situ conservation actions to recover threatened species require extensive knowledge from diverse disciplines to better understand the reproduction biology, ecology and demography of the target species. Adansonia suarezensis belongs to a section named Brevitubae, which include dry-season flowering baobabs with white flowers carrying short-staminal tubes pollinated by fruit bats and lemurs. Recently, a lack of natural regeneration has been observed in natural populations of A. suarezensis. In our project, we investigate the life cycle of A. suarezensis to reveal factors influencing the natural regeneration of the species, and we designed a restoration plan based on population genomics data by using a whole genome Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) screening approach (MigSeq). We explore also new plant-animal interactions with fruits, seeds and flowers using camera traps and direct observations. The aim is to elucidate the genetic patterns, investigate the level of gene flow, and explore relationships between population size and genetic variation in the species. The analysis of genetic diversity and population structure allow us to identify priority populations for restoration. Our project demonstrate also the importance of local community engagement in conservation by building nurseries, growing thousands of seedlings of baobabsand other economically plants as part of the conservation plan.