Anthurium cachoeirense is a perennial herb endemic to limestone outcrops in Espírito Santo state, Brazil. It has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, but is categorized as Data Deficient on the Espírito Santo Red List. The only known population occurs in seasonally dry forests at altitudes of 150–300 m. Information on the species is scarce because it was discovered in 2019 on a private property intended for mining and only two voucher specimens were collected.

In 2024, the mining company requested permission to expand its activities in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim municipality, removing c. 52 ha of the forest where the species grows. As mitigation, the company proposed rescuing individual plants and moving them to nearby areas. However, the proposed monitoring plan is limited to the legal minimum: assessing short-term survival, growth and reproduction rates.

In August 2025 (case 40183173), the relevant state environmental authority (Instituto Estadual de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos, IEMA) requested further information to supplement the environmental licensing application from the mining company because of the superficial mitigation proposal. We have proposed to IEMA the implementation of a conservation programme for the species, comprising the following measures: (1) assessing the species’ role in the plant community; (2) distribution of individual plants to germplasm banks in national botanical gardens, to preserve the species’ genetic diversity; and (3) long-term monitoring of the transplanted specimens for at least 5 years, to assess pollination success and seed viability. More widely, such actions need to be included in the Brazilian government’s Territorial Action Plans for threatened species, a tool widely applied for plant conservation in the country.

Additionally, A. cachoeirense needs to be assessed for both the national and IUCN Red Lists. Given there are no data on the ecology of this species and that access to the only known population is restricted, it is essential to implement long-term conservation initiatives. Espírito Santo state has already lost c. 85% of its forest cover, and the species’ habitat of limestone outcrops is rare in the state. This greatly reduces the likelihood of discovering any additional populations of A. cachoeirense, and thus reinforces the need to protect the existing population. Furthermore, it is likely that other species endemic to these limestone formations would benefit from the establishment of a public policy for their conservation.