Taxon name
Vachellia flava
(Forssk.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Vachellia flava
(Forssk.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Forssk.) Kyal. & Boatwr.
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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1ab(iii)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The species is an important legume species for indigenous populations (it is used to feed animals, such as goats, sheep and camels, to produce high quality honey, for charcoal, as herbal medicine etc.), it is therefore important to ensure that this species is not over-exploited in the future leading to a population decline and to a threatened category. At present, the estimated EOO for this species is 19,222 km<sup>2</sup> and it is experiencing a decline in habitat extent and quality due to over-grazing and development. However, it is anticipated to occur at more than ten locations, meaning it is assessed as Near Threatened.
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, it is known from foothills of the Hajar Mountains, Al Marmoum, Jebel Hafeet, Arabian Oryx Protected Area, and Hilli. It is absent from the west of the UAE, but has been planted as a landscape tree, for example in parts of Dubai (G.R. Brown pers. comm. 2020). The estimated EOO for this species is 19,222 km<sup>2</sup>. The species is found in the northern Sahel and the southern and central Sahara, extending to eastern Africa and east to the Arabian Peninsula.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is a much branched, tall shrub or small tree (2-7 m tall), which grows in dry semi-desert areas on sandy and clay soil and on stony screes. The species is one of the most drought-tolerant among the common African acacias occurring in the rainfall belts 50-400 mm. Its distribution differs from that of Acacia seyal, as the latter is a typical Sahelian and Sudanian species occurring in rainfall belts between 400 and 800 mm, on fine-textured soils only. The species is also known to occur in many ecoregions (WWF Ecoregions), such as Sahara desert, Sahelian Acacia savanna, southwestern Arabian foothills savanna, Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert, Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands and South Iran Nubo-Sindian desert and semi-desert.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is over-grazed and is at threat from development. There is no known natural regeneration for this species.
History
There were fewer threats in the past decades which may have meant this species was at lower risk of extinction. However, it is still likely to have been categorised as Near Threatened.
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.
