A Conservation Assessment and Phylogenomic Evaluation of Protection Status in the Tropical Genus <i>Heliconia</i> L. (Zingiberales: Heliconiaceae)

Societal Impact Statement The primarily neotropical plant genus Heliconia has been cultivated commercially in gardens and nurseries for hundreds of years. Many of these same species are ecological keystones in their native habitats as important resources for herbivorous insects and pollinating hummingbirds, yet they face threats of habitat loss and degradation, competition with invasive species, poaching from the wild, and impacts of climate change. Only a handful have been assessed to date for their conservation status. We show that nearly half of the species are threatened with extinction, many are not protected, and conserving priority species may reduce overall threats to the genus. Summary Heliconia is a charismatic genus containing 181 neotropical species and six paleotropical species, which play critical ecological roles in natural habitats and are widely cultivated as ornamentals with significant horticultural value. To date little data on the conservation status of these species have been available. To conduct conservation assessments, specimen data were assembled from herbarium collections, species distributions were mapped across biomes and ecoregions, the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy were calculated, and land‐cover vegetation loss from human activities was plotted. The number of botanical gardens holding ex situ specimens was also determined. Finally, phylogenomic patterns were used to evaluate the evolutionary conservation status across the genus. Eighty‐seven species (47%) of Heliconia are threatened with extinction. Among threatened species, all but one are in five or fewer protected localities; most non‐threatened species (61%) are in five or more protected localities. The majority of species maintained in ex situ collections (70 of 118 species) are of least conservation concern. Conservation status and protection are not evenly distributed with some evolutionary lineages more threatened and less protected than others. Previously less than 10% of Heliconia were in the IUCN Red List. Current results indicate that nearly half of species are threatened, but that many species are minimally protected through in situ and ex situ conservation. Forty‐five species are considered top priorities for additional protection. Extinction threat also extends to major lineages within the genus. Recommendations are made to concentrate conservation efforts in specific lineages to insure the survival of Heliconia .