Native to Brazil where degradation of its habitat and tree cutting for firewood are causing decline of this species; fire and grazing of domestic animals are also a major threat.
Distribution
Distributed in Brazil where it occurs in the States of: Bahia, Goias, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Santa Catarina
Habitat and Ecology
This species is an uncommon component of montane forest remnants surrounded by 'campo rupestre' (rocky grassland), a dryland vegetation in the interior. Nearer the Atlantic coast and in the south of its range it has been found in remnants of Atlantic Rain Forest. The altitudinal range of this species, based on data on herbarium specimen labels, is 1000–1780m above sea-level. It may be associated with Podocarpus lambertii, especially in the southern parts of its range, but unequivocal evidence of this has not been recorded on herbarium labels or in the literature, probably due to identification problems, as most specimens are misidentified as P. lambertii.
Human Uses
No commercial uses have been recorded for this small tree, of which the timber has not much value. It is used locally for fence posts and more extensively for firewood. It is not known to be in cultivation
Conservation Status
Global status
Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,v)
Global rationale
The area of occupancy is estimated to be 250 km². Subpopulations are severely fragmented and a continuous decline is inferred from cutting and deforestation outside the protected areas. On this basis Podocarpus transiens is assessed as Endangered.
Global threats
This species appears to be quite rare and was previously considered to be Endangered based on pre-1994 IUCN criteria. Due to very small numbers of trees in some of these locations, the area of occupancy (AOO) must be much smaller than 500 km², while populations appear always to be small in the ca. 10 locations recorded in the region, of which the most commonly visited is the Morro do Chapeu in Bahia. In several locations degradation of habitat and tree cutting for firewood are causing decline of this species. Deforestation caused by cutting, fire and grazing of domestic animals is the main threat. The tree cutting is mostly for firewood, much less for timber
Conservation Actions
The locality in Morro do Chapeu (a table mountain or tepuis) is within a protected area (State Natural Monument). It is also recorded from Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park and from Emas National Park.
References and further reading
Farjon, A. (2013). Podocarpus transiens. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 July 2013.
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