Lepus capensis | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Taxa
Lepus capensis | Linnaeus, 1758
Asessment status in full
Least concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
The Cape or Arabian Hare is widely distributed across the UAE except in the mountains. It is currently assessed as Least Concern because it remains widespread and relatively common inside protected areas, and releases from captive breeding programmes are ongoing. Outside protected areas, habitat loss and degradation due to overgrazing is widespread and continuing so the species could be approaching the thresholds for listing as Near Threatened and regular monitoring is required. No regional adjustment is made to the Least Concern assessment.
Assessment year
2018
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 specifics
IUCN v3.1
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.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
The expansion of human settlement into the deserts and the impact of camel grazing on the vegetation have had a significant effect on the hare's habitat in UAE, outside protected areas. Many plains formerly covered by succulent vegetation are now totally barren due to over-grazing and, possibly, over-extraction of groundwater. Moreover, many forestry plantations have large numbers of feral cats and Red Fox Vulpes vulpes which predate hares (Aspinall et al. 2005, Drew and Tourenq 2005). Releases of individuals imported from southern and Central Asia have been implicated in deaths of native hares due to the introduction of disease (suspected to be rabbit haemorrhagic disease) (Drew 2004). Releases of non-native hares may also pose a risk to the genetic integrity of the indigenous population.
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Least Concern which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Scientific Name | Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lepus capensis | Animalia | Chordata | Mammalia | Lagomorpha | Leporidae | Lepus |