Taxon name
Nannorrhops ritchieana
(Griff.) Aitch.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Nannorrhops ritchieana
(Griff.) Aitch.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(Griff.) Aitch.
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)
B1a+2a
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the UAE, this species occurs in the Hajar Mountains from Masafi (Wadi Ham south to the border with Oman, including Wadi Hatta), and also occurs on Jebel Hafeet. some subpopulations may be the result of intentional cultivation for use. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is between 1,500 and 2,000 km<sup>2</sup>, and the AOO at less than 500 km<sup>2</sup>. There is no information on population size or trend. The species is assessed as Near Threatened as, whilst the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are restricted, and it is suspected that the species occurs in between eight and ten locations, there is no evidence of widespread threats within its distribution range, or of continuing decline. The species would qualify as Vulnerable if a continuing decline in the number of mature individuals, or in habitat area, extent or quality was known or suspected. In addition, the species might potentially qualify as threatened under criterion D, however further information on the population structure of this probably clonal species is required.
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 occurs along the western slopes of the Hajar Mountains from Shawka, south to the border with Oman (Jongbloed et al. 2003, Feulner 2011). The species also occurs on Jebel Hafeet (Perry 2008) on the northern summit wadi on Jebel Hafeet (at almost 1,000 m asl; G.R. Feulner, in lit. MEW 2010), where it persists (S. Sakkir and G. Brown pers. comm. 2018). According to G.R. Feulner (in lit. MEW 2010), this species ""is consistently present as one or a few clumps/groves in almost every wadi from Shawka south [to the Oman border], normally at places where the wadi broadens for one reason or another and silt accumulates. It is relatively common in the wadis in the greater Juwaif area, about half-way between the Hatta Road and Mahdhah."" The Sharjah Seedbank & Herbarium (SSBH) recorded the species from the Al Dhaid-Masafi road (Thaoban), and found four new clumps of the plant in Al-Bardy and Al-Wishah (in gravelly area east of Dhaid); these clumps are located inside farms, and local people reported that ""...they planted it"" a long time ago (T. Mahmoud pers. comm. 2019). The EOO is estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 km<sup>2</sup>, whilst the AOO is less than 500 km<sup>2 </sup>and is likely to be as little as 300 km<sup>2</sup>. The species also occurs in adjacent areas of Oman (G.R. Feulner in lit. MEW 2010). Globally, the species is native from the southern Arabian Peninsula to Iran and Pakistan (Board of Trustees, RGB Kew 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Incomplete
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This plant species is described as perennial tree with fan-shaped leaves forming clumps several meters across that generally occurs in gravelled areas along low wadi banks (Jongbloed et al. 2003). According to G.R. Feulner (in lit, MEW 2010), the species is normally found at places where wadi broaden and silt accumulates.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
MEW (2010) considered populations fragmented and at threat from development, without giving details. At one site in the Hajar Mountains, quarrying activities had lowered the wadi floor by at least 2 m, with consequential impacts on the ground water level. As a result, one cluster of the palm in the wadi is dying (D. Aplin pers. comm. 2019). The species is generally found in the lower parts of wadis and it is therefore vulnerable to development, e.g. road construction, and other works.
History
The situation for this species in 1996 is thought to be similar to the situation for the species now.
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.
