Red List Status
EN - Endangered, B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) (IUCN version 3.1)

Red List Assessment

Red List Status

Is the reassessment subject to the 5-year rule? (Not specified)

Assessment Information

Date of Assessment: 2023-01-27

Reviewed? (Not specified)

Assessor(s): Braun, K.

Reviewer(s): (Not specified)

Contributor(s): (Not specified)

Facilitators/Compilers: (Not specified)

Institution(s): (Not specified)

Acknowledgements: (Not specified)

Regions: Global

Regional Expert Questions: (Not specified)

Assessment Rationale

Cephalara petiolata has a restricted distribution and there are very few records of this species. The estimated extent of occurrence was calculated to be 1,846.856 km² with an area of occupancy of 12 km². However, one of the records needs the identification to be confirmed, so both the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy could be considerably smaller. There is an ongoing threat of habitat degradation or destruction due to overgrazing by livestock. Based on this, it has been assessed as Endangered, under Criteria B1 and B2.
Date last seen: 2009

Reasons for Change

Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment: (Not specified)

Red List Index

Red List Index: (Not specified)

Distribution

Geographic Range

This species is known from three localities, one in the Eswatini highveld, one in Songimvelo and one in the Wakkerstroom area.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
12	The estimated area of occupancy is based on records from three localities, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011), with the standard 2x2 km grid cell being applied.

Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	It is not known whether there is a decline in area of occupancy.

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)	Justification
Unknown	It is not known if there are any extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy.

Extent of Occurrence (EOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO)- in km2	EOO estimate calculated from Minimum Convex Polygon	Justification
1846.865	true	The estimated extent of occurrence is based on records from three localities, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011).

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	It is unknown whether there is any continuing decline in extent of occurrence.

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Justification
Unknown	It is unknown whether there are any extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence.

Locations Information

Number of Locations	Justification
3	Records for this species are from three widely separated localities, so they are considered to be separate locations.

Continuing decline in number of locations	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	It is unknown whether there is any continuing decline in number of locations.

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations	Justification
Unknown	It is unknown whether there are any extreme fluctuations in number of locations.

Very restricted AOO or number of locations (triggers VU D2)

Very restricted in area of occupancy (AOO) and/or # of locations	Justification
Yes	The known records for this species are from three locations, the area of occupancy being estimated at 12 km2.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1390

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1997

Depth Lower Limit (in metres below sea level): (Not specified)

Depth Upper Limit (in metres below sea level): (Not specified)

Depth Zone: (Not specified)

Map Status

Map Status: (Not specified)

Biogeographic Realms

Biogeographic Realm: Afrotropical

Country	Presence	Origin	Formerly Bred	Seasonality
Eswatini	Extant	Native	-	Resident
South Africa -> Mpumalanga	Extant	Native	-	Resident

Population

This species is known from four records, from Eswatini and two localities in South Africa. No detailed population surveys have been conducted.

Population Information

Current Population Trend: (Not specified)

Number of mature individuals (=population size): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations? (in # of mature individuals): (Not specified)

Severely fragmented? (Not specified)

Continuing decline in mature individuals? (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 1 generation or 3 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 2 generations or 5 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Continuing decline % in mature individuals within 3 generations or 10 years, whichever is longer (up to max. of 100 years in the future): (Not specified)

Extreme fluctuations in the number of subpopulations: (Not specified)

Continuing decline in number of subpopulations: (Not specified)

All individuals in one subpopulation: (Not specified)

Number of mature individuals in largest subpopulation: (Not specified)

Number of Subpopulations: (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Past

Percent Change in past: (Not specified)

Past Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction reversible? (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction understood? (Not specified)

Causes of past reduction ceased? (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Future

Percent Change in future: (Not specified)

Future Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Population Reduction - Ongoing

Both: Percent Change over any 10 year or 3 generation period, whichever is longer, and must include both past and future, future can't go beyond 100 years: (Not specified)

Both Population Reduction Basis: (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction reversible? (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction understood? (Not specified)

Causes of both (past and future) reduction ceased? (Not specified)

Quantitative Analysis

Probability of extinction in the wild within 3 generations or 10 years, whichever is longer, maximum 100 years: (Not specified)

Probability of extinction in the wild within 5 generations or 20 years, whichever is longer, maximum 100 years: (Not specified)

Probability of extinction in the wild within 100 years: (Not specified)

Habitats and Ecology

In Eswatini, this plant was recorded from swamps, and the Wakkerstroom area record from a temporarily inudated seepage area. It would appear that this species requires moist areas in grassland. The vegetation types for the known localities are KaNgwane Montane Grassland (Gm16), Wakkerstroom Montane Grassland (Gm14) and Barberton Serpentine Sourveld (SVI13) (Mucina et. al. 2018).

IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme

Habitat	Season	Suitability	Major Importance?
5.4. Wetlands (inland) -> Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	-	Suitable	Yes

Continuing Decline in Habitat

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	Many of the small wetland systems in the highveld grassland are subject to ongoing pressure from heavy grazing.

Life History

Generation Length: (Not specified)

Age at maturity: female or unspecified: (Not specified)

Age at Maturity: Male: (Not specified)

Size at Maturity (in cms): Female: (Not specified)

Size at Maturity (in cms): Male: (Not specified)

Longevity: (Not specified)

Average Reproductive Age: (Not specified)

Maximum Size (in cms): (Not specified)

Size at Birth (in cms): (Not specified)

Gestation Time: (Not specified)

Reproductive Periodicity: (Not specified)

Average Annual Fecundity or Litter Size: (Not specified)

Annual Rate of Population Increase: (Not specified)

Natural Mortality: (Not specified)

Does the species lay eggs? (Not specified)

Does the species give birth to live young: (Not specified)

Does the species exhibit parthenogenesis: (Not specified)

Does the species have a free-living larval stage? (Not specified)

Does the species require water for breeding? (Not specified)

Movement Patterns

Movement Patterns: (Not specified)

Congregatory: (Not specified)

Systems

System: Terrestrial

Plant / Fungi Specific

Wild relative of a crop? (Not specified)

Plant and Fungal Growth Forms: (Not specified)

Use and Trade

General Use and Trade Information

Species not utilized: (Not specified)

No use/trade information for this species: true

General notes regarding trade and use of this species: (Not specified)

Local Livelihood: (Not specified)

National Commercial Value: (Not specified)

International Commercial Value: (Not specified)

End Use: (Not specified)

Is there harvest from captive/cultivated sources of this species? (Not specified)

Trend in level of total offtake from wild sources: (Not specified)

Trend in level of total offtake from domesticated sources: (Not specified)

Harvest Trend Comments: (Not specified)

Non- Consumptive Use

Non-consumptive use of the species? (Not specified)

Explanation of non-consumptive use: (Not specified)

Livelihoods

Livelihoods: (Not specified)

Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity
2.3.2. Agriculture & aquaculture -> Livestock farming & ranching -> Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing	Majority (50-90%)	Slow, Significant Declines

Conservation

This species has been recorded from within Songimvelo Game Reserve, although the identity of this record requires confirmation.

Conservation Actions In- Place

Action Recovery Plan	Note
No	-

Systematic monitoring scheme	Note
No	-

Conservation sites identified	Note
Yes, over part of range	The range of this species includes Songimvelo Game Reserve. The Eswatini records are from the Forbes Reef area, so it is possible that this species might also be found in Malolotja Nature Reserve.

Occur in at least one PA	Note
Yes	Ths species has been recorded from Songimvelo Game Reserve. The Eswatini records are from the Forbes Reef area, so it is possible that this species might also be found in Malolotja Nature Reserve.

Percentage of population protected by PAs (0-100)	Note
31-40	Of the three known locations for this species, one falls within a protected area.

Area based regional management plan: (Not specified)

Invasive species control or prevention	Note
Unknown	-

Harvest management plan	Note
No	-

Successfully reintroduced or introduced benignly	Note
No	-

Subject to ex-situ conservation	Note
No	-

Subject to recent education and awareness programmes	Note
No	-

Included in international legislation	Note
No	-

Subject to any international management/trade controls	Note
No	-

Important Conservation Actions Needed

Conservation Actions	Note
1.2. Land/water protection -> Resource & habitat protection	There is need for conservation of the highveld wetland habitat where this species has been found.
3.4.2. Species management -> Ex-situ conservation -> Genome resource bank	No material has yet been collected for ex-situ conservation of this species.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	There is a need for fieldwork to obtain more information on the population size, distribution and trends for this species.
1.3. Research -> Life history & ecology	More information is required on the life history and ecology of this species for conservation planning purposes.

Cephalaria petiolata - Compton