Conservation
The species is classified as Vulnerable on the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants, and listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Large areas of bushland have been developed for agriculture in much of southern Western Australia, and it is likely that this loss of habitat is one of the main causes of the reduced population of Rhizanthella gardneri. Further threats to habitat include drought, the encroachment of salt and a decline in health of the host plant. Remaining populations of the underground orchid are isolated in the fragments of habitat that persist today.
Three of the known populations of Rhizanthella gardneri are protected within nature reserves, and a concerted initiative has been launched to safeguard this species for future generations. A partnership between the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Australia's Endangered Species Program and Perth's Kings Park and Botanic Gardens are undertaking DNA fingerprinting and seed-banking of this rare orchid in an attempt to establish a propagation programme.
Read more about this topic: Rhizanthella Gardneri
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