Taxon name
Acridocarpus orientalis
A.Juss.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Acridocarpus orientalis
A.Juss.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
A.Juss.
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the UAE, this species is restricted to Wadi Tarabat in the northern foothills of Jebel Hafeet in Abu Dhabi Emirate. It has an extent of occurrence (EOO) and an area of occupancy (AOO) of less than 8 km<sup>2</sup>. Around 200 individuals are known, however, the population trend is not known, nor whether there is a decline in the number of mature individuals or habitat quality. Jebel Hafeet has been subject to habitat degradation as a result of livestock grazing, however fencing to restrict grazing in Wadi Tarabat was implemented in 2005, and again around 2017, and all known individuals of this species occur within this fenced area. The species is assessed as Endangered (EN D) as a result of its restricted population size (<200 mature individuals). Further research is needed to understand the current situation for this species, and continued conservation action is required. The species potentially qualifies as CR as a result of the restricted EOO and AOO, if a continuing decline is shown. The species does occur as significant wadi and mountain slope populations in adjacent parts of Oman to the east and south. No immigration is known in recent years and therefore no regional adjustment 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 is restricted to a single wadi (Fawzi and Ksiksi 2012, Ksiksi et al. 2012): Wadi Tarabat, a valley in the northern foothills of Jebel Hafeet in Abu Dhabi Emirate (Jongbloed et al. 2003). The native range of this species is reported as north-east Somalia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019). Within Oman, the species is known from a number of localities in the Hajar Mountains, including Jebel Akhdar, Muscat and north to the Musandam Peninsula.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
A perennial, woody, branched shrub, up to 2(-6) m in height that flowers in April-June in addition to October and November (Jongbloed et al. 2003). In its Arabian Peninsula range, the species is found in semi-desert bushland, in rocky places, particularly in wadis, from 100-700 m asl (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Jongbloed et al. (2003) stated that the species is not grazed by livestock, however, the Jebel Hafeet area has been heavily degraded by livestock and introduced animal grazing.
History
This species naturally occurs within a restricted distribution, which is not believed to have been altered between 1996 and the present.
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.
