4.4 Implications for conservation
Wild plants with extremely small populations are usually highly inbred. The characteristics of low transmission diversity and high frequency of genetic drift need to be confirmed. Genetic rescue increases genetic diversity, improves fitness, and enhances adaptation to maintain the species’ long-term survival (Sun et al., 2021). Instead of increasing the number of surviving individuals by collecting inbred seeds or asexual cuttings of C. hainanense , researchers should focus on designing artificial hybridization strategies to reduce inbred offspring. One of the measures to protect the C. hainanensepopulation is to set up multiple protection sites to protect natural populations and their surrounding habitats. The second is to strengthen the gene flow between populations, such as constructing artificial ex-situ protection populations that should be obtained from as many different populations as possible. During ex-situ conservation, the exchange of seeds and seedlings between populations should be increased to create conditions for gene exchange and recombination artificially.