Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Ferns and Allies
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Data Deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is generally considered to be rare, with few sightings in recent years. It is only known from the Ru'us al-Jibal, which provides a restricted distribution. However, this species may benefit from or be negatively affected by climate change depending on whether rainfall and atmospheric moisture increases or decreases. Due to this uncertainty, and few records of the species in general, it is currently considered Data Deficient.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the UAE this species has been recorded from the Ru'us al-Jibal (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Records include Jebel Jais at high elevations (M. Tsaliki pers. comm. 2019). The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of this species is 50-100 km<sup>2</sup>, and the AOO is likely to be very restricted (much less than 500 km<sup>2</sup>, but more than 10 km<sup>2</sup>). However, the species is likely to be under recorded and the habitat type is not well surveyed.Globally, this is a broadly distributed species and is found across the western and southern half of Europe, extending southwards and eastwards to North Africa, Yemen, Djibouti, India and China (Christenhusz et al. 2017, Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This plant is a perennial fern with tufted fronds up to 15 cm, occurring in the Ru'us al-Jibal mountains in the UAE (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Rothfels et al. 2012). The species is generally found on cliff faces where there are seepages or where there is moisture in the air.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species could be negatively affected by climate change if rainfall and atmospheric moisture declines. However, if climate change causes increasing rainfall and atmospheric moisture, this species could benefit from the changes. Therefore, it is currently unclear whether this poses a threat to the species.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
