Halophila stipulacea | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Halophila stipulacea | (Forssk.) Asch.
Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Plants
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Flowering Plants
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the UAE, this species is known to occur along the Arabian Gulf coast (Phillips et al. 2002). The maximum AOO of this species is estimated to be under 2,000 km<sup>2</sup>, incorporating the area of this species found in Abu Dhabi and Ras al-Khaimah (H.S. Das pers. comm. 2019). Due to the occurrence of multiple seagrass meadows along the UAE coastline, there are estimated to be greater than ten threat-based locations. The native range of this species encompasses Egypt to India and the West Indian Ocean (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This perennial herb is a seagrass species (Norton et al. 2009, Phillips et al. 2002). It can grow at depths between 2-8 m (H.S. Das pers. comm. 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Near Threatened
Assessment status abreviation
NT
Assessment status criteria
B2ab(iii)
Assessment rationale/justification
This seagrass species occurs along the Arabian Gulf coastline of the UAE, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah. The estimated AOO is under 2,000 km<sup>2</sup> and there are considered to be more than ten threat-based locations. Halophila stipulacea is currently undergoing a decline in the extent and quality of its habitat due to multiple threats including oil-related activities, pollution, dredging, coastal development and fishing culture. Therefore, this species is assessed as Near Threatened.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
This species is particularly susceptible to coastal development but can recover quickly if disturbance ceases and conditions improve. It can also be affected by siltation and sedimentation (Short et al. 2010, Erftemeijer and Shuail 2012). In the UAE, the species is impacted by coastal dredging and land reclamation and development, fish trawling activities, oil spills and oil pollution, oil extraction developments, coastal water eutrophication and salinisation (from water desalination plants), siltation, and other forms of pollution (Erftemeijer and Shuail 2012). Given its shallow water habitat, this species may also be threatened by climate change and the associated increase in storm activity, water temperature, and/or sea-level rise (Short et al. 2010).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
Coastal development within the UAE has been increasing in frequency and intensity since 1996, reducing the extent and quality of available habitat for this species.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Halophila stipulacea Plantae Tracheophyta Liliopsida Alismatales Hydrocharitaceae Halophila