Despite the challenges, the study also highlighted valuable success stories that could offer important insights for Rafflesia conservation elsewhere. For instance:

Close-up view of the centre of a large five-lobed flower. The central dome is covered in spine-like projections.

A rare glimpse into the interior of Rafflesia arnoldii. Image credit: Chris Thorogood.

 

  • Bogor Botanic Garden in West Java, Indonesia, has become a centre of excellence for Rafflesia propagation, after a series of successful blooming events, including 16 for the species Rafflesia patma. Knowledge-sharing activities would help spread best practices to regions where this is needed urgently.
  • In West Sumatra, groups of local villagers are benefitting from Rafflesia ecotourism by forming ‘pokdarwis’: tourism awareness groups linked to social media. Many of these announce Rafflesia blooming events on social media platforms to build awareness of populations, and to attract paying tourists while carefully managing the risks of, for example, trampling. These activities could be developed as a template to disseminate to areas where community involvement with Rafflesia conservation is scarce.

Dr Chris Thorogood, Deputy Director of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and an author of the study said: ‘This new study highlights how the global conservation efforts geared towards plants – however iconic – have lagged behind those of animals. We urgently need a joined-up, cross-regional approach to save some of the world’s most remarkable flowers, most of which are now on the brink of being lost.’

Adriane Tobias, forester from the Philippines said: ‘Indigenous peoples are some of the best guardians of our forests, and Rafflesia conservation programmes are far more likely to be successful if they engage local communities. Rafflesia has the potential to be a new icon for conservation in the Asian tropics.’

The study ‘Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction’ has been published in Plants, People, Planet.