Identifying refugia from emerging threats is vital to ensure the persistence of rare and threatened species, but modeling habitat distribution for these species is challenging and the role of people in refuge management is rarely considered. Myrtle rust is an emerging infectious disease that represents a grave threat to the rare wetland tree species maire tawake ( Syzygium maire ) in Aotearoa New Zealand. We combined high‐reso...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s swamp forests have experienced significant habitat loss in fewer than two hundred years. Many of the country’s tree species are endemic with sparse to no genetic information available to underpin conservation strategies. Syzygium maire , Aotearoa’s only endemic Syzygium species, is a culturally and ecologically important component of swamp forest habitats. Unfortunately, populations of S. maire have been...