Scientific Area
An inventory of assessing the conservation status and extinction risk of the endemic plant species in Egypt: Mediterranean coastal
ID: 613 / 251
Category: Abstract
Track: Pending
Proposed Symposium Title: An inventory of assessing the conservation status and extinction risk of the endemic plant species in Egypt: Mediterranean coastal
Authors:
Mohamed M. El-Khalafy1*, Yassin M. Al-Sodany1, Dalia A. Ahemd2, Heba Bedair2, Soliman A. Haroun1 and Salma K. Shaltout2
Affiliations: 1Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt. 2Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, 31527, Tanta, Egypt.
Abstract:
Having valid and up-to-date information on the ecological and conservation status of threatened species is one of the most important elements in the establishment of an effective conservation programme The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity which provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats and conservation actions that will help to inform necessary conservation decisions. The Plant diversity in the Mediterranean region depends heavily on endemism. The majority of species belonging to this area are narrow endemic species. The present study aims at evaluating the conservation status, degree of risk to extinction of Mediterranean plant species in Egypt and changes of these species over the past 50 years. Twenty Field visits have been carried out from between February 2017 till September 2022 including different locations in the Mediterranean region for investigation as well as evaluation of all studies in the investigated area, scientific literatures, and different herbaria were visited. Main habitats, coordinates and threats were recorded through visits, while evaluation of conservation status was based on IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. A complete IUCN assessment for 15 Mediterranean endemic taxa was conducted including: Geographic range, population characteristics, habitat, ecology, threats and Conservation actions. Assessment showed that 13 taxa are threatened (7 endangered, 2 critically endangered and 4 believed to be extinct). On the other hand, two species as Data Deficient. Human impacts (especially urbanization and tourism) and climate changes (especially drought and extreme temperature) are the most severe threats that impacted the taxa in this region. taxa. The present study has the priority for complete evaluating these taxa according to IUCN categories.