Red List Status
VU - Vulnerable, B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii); D2 (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: (Not specified)

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

Disa intermedia is only known from a very limited distribution range, with an area of occupancy of about 28 km². The estimated extent of occurrence was smaller than the area of occupancy, so the area of occupancy has been used for the extent of occurrence. The majority of the population occurs in an area with ongoing rapid development for agriculture and other forms of land use, and the remaining grassland areas are heavily grazed by livestock. This plant has therefore been assessed as Vulnerable under Criterion B1, B2 and D2.
Date last seen: 2018

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 only known from the Eswatini highveld in an area extending from Hawane extending north north east into Malolotja Nature Reserve.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
28	The area of occupancy is based on 13 records, including at least 9 localities, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011), with the standard 2x2 km grid cell being applied. Some of the locality information is based on vague locality descriptions on herbarium labels and is only approximate.

Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	There is a high probability of habitat loss due to the ongoing development occurring in the Hawane area.

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): (Not specified)

Extent of Occurrence (EOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO)- in km2	EOO estimate calculated from Minimum Convex Polygon	Justification
28	true	The estimated extent of occurrence based on 12 records for this species, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011) was 19.116 km2, less than the area of occupancy, so the higher figure has been used here.

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	There is a high probability of habitat loss due to the ongoing development occurring in the Hawane area.

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Justification
Unknown	The extent of occurrence is based on 13 records, including at least 9 localities. Some of the locality information is based on vague locality descriptions on herbarium labels and is only approximate.

Locations Information

Number of Locations	Justification
8	Some of the locality information is based on vague locality descriptions on herbarium labels and is only approximate. Because of this, the number of locations is an estimate.

Continuing decline in number of locations: (Not specified)

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

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

Very restricted in area of occupancy (AOO) and/or # of locations	Justification
Yes	The area of occupancy currently known for this species is under 20 km2.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1285

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1450

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

Population

No detailed population surveys have been conducted for this species, so any population information is based on specimen label information or data provided with the observation. It has been recorded from three localities within Malolotja Nature Reserve, and about five localities in the Hawane/Forbes Reef area. For the purposes of this assessment, it has been assumed that the plant still occurs in the localities described on the older records. The flowering of this species might be dependent on the fire regime, and if not in flower, this plant is not easily located, so it is possible that it is still present in these areas.

Population Information

Current Population Trend: Unknown

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

This plant is known from open sourveld grassland areas. The entire distribution falls within vegetation type KaNgwane Montane Grassland (Gm16) (Mucina et. al. 2018). The species is found on shallow soils in well-drained localities.

IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme

Habitat	Season	Suitability	Major Importance?
4.7. Grassland -> Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	-	Suitable	-

Continuing Decline in Habitat

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	Although some of the known localities for this plant fall within a protected area, most of the distribution is in the Hawane/Forbes Reef area, where significant levels of land use change have been observed.

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)

Threats

Although some of the known localities for this plant fall within a protected area, most of the distribution is in the Hawane/Forbes Reef area, where significant levels of land use change have been observed. This has included more and more buildings, and various forms of agriculture. Most of the area outside of Malolotja Nature Reserve is also subject to heavy grazing.

Threats Classification Scheme

No past, ongoing, or future threats exist to this species. (Not specified)

The threats to this species are unknown. (Not specified)

Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity
2.1.2. Agriculture & aquaculture -> Annual & perennial non-timber crops -> Small-holder farming	Ongoing	-	-
2.3.2. Agriculture & aquaculture -> Livestock farming & ranching -> Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing	-	-

Conservation

Part of the distribution of this species falls within Malolotja Nature Reserve, providing at least some measure of protection for this plant.

Conservation Actions In- Place

Action Recovery Plan	Note
No	-

Systematic monitoring scheme	Note
No	-

Conservation sites identified	Note
Yes, over part of range	This plant has been found within Malolotja Nature Reserve

Occur in at least one PA	Note
Yes	The northern end of the distribution of this species falls within Malolotja Nature Reserve.

Percentage of population protected by PAs (0-100)	Note
21-30	The northern end of the distribution of this species falls within Malolotja Nature Reserve.

Area based regional management plan	Note
No	-

Invasive species control or prevention	Note
No	The majority of the species distribution falls outside protected areas, where there is no management of invasive species.

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
3.4.2. Species management -> Ex-situ conservation -> Genome resource bank	Collection of material for ex-situ conservation of this species would enhance its potential survival.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	There is currently no information on population sizes and trends for this species, and fieldwork is desirable to determine if the species occurs at additional localities.
1.3. Research -> Life history & ecology	More information is required on the life history and ecology of this species. One of the known localities for this species was revisited at the appropriate time of year, but without locating the plant again. The locality was within Malolotja Nature Reserve, and there were no observed changes to the habitat, so it is possible that the plant does not flower every year.

Disa intermedia - H.P.Linder