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IUCN Red List and Species Distribution Models as tools for the conservation of poorly known species: a case study of endemic plants Micromeria serbaliana and Veronica kaiseri in South Sinai, Egypt

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Summary

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. Micromeria serbaliana and Veronica kaiseri are endemic perennial plants in the St Catherine Protected Area (SCPA), South Sinai, Egypt. It should be noted that both species have not been recorded since 1998. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the ecological and conservation status of the two species by: i) verifying their presence in the field; (ii) determining the current ecological and conservation status through an IUCN Red List Assessment; and (iii) identifying potentially suitable habitat by using the Species Distribution Model (SDM) as a tool to support Red List assessment. Extensive field surveys were carried out from March to September 2017 to determine the target species distribution, population characteristics, habitat, ecology, and threats. The results of these surveys provided great news, the two species were recorded in 14 sites, most of which are not historic (ten sites for M. serbaliana and five sites for V. kaiseri), in a very small restricted area of high mountains. The Extent of Occurrence (EOO) was 65.8 km2 for M. serbaliana and 108.4 km2 for V. kaiseri. The population sizes were very small, scattered, and fragmented. SDMs found that the potential suitable habitats for both species are concentrated in high mountain areas in the Middle North part of SCPA. A total of 20.4 km2 were predicted to have a high probability that M. serbaliana is present, whereas 68.6 km2 were predicted to have a high probability that V. kaiseri is present. SDMs were highly efficient in predicting the suitable habitat and in estimating EOO, and these models were therefore able to contribute to determining the extinction risk of the two species. Based on the assessed distributions and threats to the populations of M. serbaliana and V. kaiseri, we predict that both species have an Endangered status according to IUCN Red List Categories and criteria. Many threats have been detected that have a strong and noticeable impact on the target plants in the field, such as grazing and drought, and this calls for the establishment of an urgent conservation program. In situ (through recovery) and ex situ (through seed collection and storage, as well as awareness raising) conservation practices are recommended.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) for their financial support in carrying out field surveys. Special thanks to the Capacity Building Project (CB3 – UNDP) for its support in developing this article and for its time, review, and guidance. The authors are most grateful to Dr. Faten Yousef El lmouni, Department of Botany (Faculty of Science), Fayoum University, who kindly checked and confirmed the identification of Veronica kaiseri. The authors also are grateful to Mr. Amir Shalouf, Mrs. Fatma Abdelbaset, and professional Bedouin guides Seleim Mehana and Attia Soliman for their hard work during fieldwork in the SCPA. We extend our sincere thanks to the reviewers whose comments enriched the content of the research and added accurate scientific value. The first author dedicates this research to the soul of his father-in-law, "Mr. Mohamed Koraym" who supported me to complete it and wished to see it. The second author also dedicates the benefit of the results of this research to the soul of his mother, who supported him throughout her life.

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  1. Nature Conservation Sector, Ministry of Environment, Cairo, Egypt

    Karim Omar & Ibrahim Elgamal

  2. United Nation Development Program (UNDP), Cairo, Egypt

    Karim Omar

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  1. Karim Omar
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  2. Ibrahim Elgamal
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Correspondence to Karim Omar.

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Omar, K., Elgamal, I. IUCN Red List and Species Distribution Models as tools for the conservation of poorly known species: a case study of endemic plants Micromeria serbaliana and Veronica kaiseri in South Sinai, Egypt. Kew Bull 76, 477–496 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-021-09953-4

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