Conservation assessment of endemic plants from Chitral Region, Pakistan

Abstract

Chitral has diverse importance and has designated as a biodiversity hotspot of the country due to junction of Hindu Kush, Himalayan and Karakorum ranges, thus supporting maximum number of endemic plants.

The conservation status of those endemic plants was assessed for three years, which have at least few points’ data as per IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria 2011, 2017and relied more on B criterion using “GeoCat” for AOO and EOO assessment. Some of the taxa were also compared with their previous status assessed ten years ago. This guideline will assist in country’s policies for conservation, threat assessment and sustainable management.

Assessing a total of fifteen endemic taxa (species and subspecies), most are endemic to Chitral except Anaphalis chitralensis and Impatiens lemannii (both country’s endemic).Twelve species fall in the criteria for Endangered (EN) where as two species fall under Vulnerable (VU) and one falls in critically endangered (CE) threat category. The most CE (critically endangered) species is Astragalus commixtus with only 56 mature individuals while Astragalus erionotus, Delphinium kohatense were found to as VU (Vulnerable), rest all species like Polygonum cognatum, Plocama asperuliformus etc. are EN (Endangered). These species need immediate strategies for in-situ and ex-situ conservation for survival.