Conserving Firmiana major, a tree species endemic to China Firmiana major is a deciduous tree endemic to the hot arid valley of the Jinsha River in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces, China, where the climate supports few trees species and environmental degradation is severe. Of the seven Firmiana species in China five are endemic, and F. major was recognized as a class II protected species in the first edition of the National Key Protected Wild Plants List of China (). The China Plant Red Data

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... ok () reported that as a result of habitat destruction caused by development, wild individuals of F. major were difficult to find, although c.  individuals were conserved at Kunming Botanical Garden, Kunming Black Dragon Pond Park, and two temples around Kunming in Yunnan province. In  the IUCN Red List categorized F. major as Extinct in the Wild. The species was omitted in the second, current edition of the National Key Protected Wild Plants List of China (). In , however,  individuals were found in the National Nature Reserve of Cycas panzhihuaensis in Sichuan Province. Zhixiang Yu managed to grow F. major seedlings, and expanded the natural population by reintrotion of the Asiatic cheetah it is therefore critical that the Department makes cheetah conservation a top priority.