Red List Status
VU - Vulnerable, 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: 2023-01-02

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

Drimiopsis comptonii is only known from one locality, and based on its very small area of occupancy and extent of occurrence it qualifies for Vulnerable status under criterion D2. In spite of the locality being immediately adjacent to urban development, the topography of the area might protect it from urban expansion and habitat loss.
Date last seen: 2022.

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 one locality in the Mbabane area in Eswatini.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
4	This species has only been recorded from one location. The estimated area of occupancy was 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
No	Observed	This plant was originally recorded from one location in 1984, and was found at the same location in 2000 and 2022.

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)	Justification
No	There is insufficient information available to indicate any change in area of occupancy.

Extent of Occurrence (EOO)

Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO)- in km2	EOO estimate calculated from Minimum Convex Polygon	Justification
4	true	This species is only known from one location. The estimated extent of occurrence calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011) was 0 km2, less than the area of occupancy, so the higher figure has been used here.

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Qualifier	Justification
No	Observed	This plant was originally recorded from one location in 1984, and was found at the same location in 2000 and 2022.

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Justification
No	There is insufficient information available to indicate any change in extent of occurence.

Locations Information

Number of Locations	Justification
1	This species is only known from one location.

Continuing decline in number of locations	Qualifier	Justification
No	-	This species was originally recorded in 1984, and found again in 2000, and 2022. The location has not been directly affected by urban development.

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations	Justification
Unknown	-

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

Very restricted in area of occupancy (AOO) and/or # of locations	Justification
Yes	This species is only known from one location.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1300

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1400

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	-	-

Population

This species was first recorded in 1984 and again in 2000, but no population information was recorded on either occasion. The site was visited again in October 2022, and the plant found, no detailed survey was conducted, but the species is frequent within a very small area. The population is considered to be stable. In spite of the urban development in adjacent areas, it is possible that due to the micro-habitat requirements for this species it did not occur in these areas prior to their development.

Population Information

Current Population Trend: Stable

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 was found in rocky grassland, on south-facing granitic outcrops in peaty pans. The area falls within KaNgwane Montane Grassland Gm16 (Mucina et. al. 2018). The plant appears to be limited to a very specific micro habitat, where they occur in shallow soil on granite sheets.

IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme

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

Continuing Decline in Habitat

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?	Qualifier	Justification
No	-	In spite of urban development in the surrounding areas, the habitat has not been affected by this due to the topography.

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? No

Plant and Fungal Growth Forms: (Not specified)

Use and Trade

General Use and Trade Information

Species not utilized: true

No use/trade information for this species: true

There is no information on trade or use of this species.

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
1.1. Residential & commercial development -> Housing & urban areas	Future	Unknown	Rapid Declines

Conservation

This species has only been recorded from one location, which is currently unprotected. The site was visited in October 2022, and it was seen that it lends itself to the establishment of a flora reserve. The topography of the area makes it unsuitable for further expansion of urban development, and it includes not only this species, but other species with restricted distributions. The formal protection of this area would not only provide some measure of protection for these plants, but also maintain a green zone within the Mbabane urban area.

Conservation Actions In- Place

Action Recovery Plan	Note
No	-

Systematic monitoring scheme	Note
No	-

Conservation sites identified	Note
Yes, over entire range	This species is only known from one locality, currently unprotected, but the area would be ideal for the establishment of a Flora Reserve.

Occur in at least one PA	Note
No	-

Percentage of population protected by PAs (0-100)	Note
0	-

Area based regional management plan: (Not specified)

Invasive species control or prevention	Note
No	-

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
1.1. Land/water protection -> Site/area protection	The locality where this species is found would be well suited to the establishment of a flora reserve.
3.4.2. Species management -> Ex-situ conservation -> Genome resource bank	There is currently no ex-situ conservation for this species, which would be necessary to ensure the survival of this species if the one location was lost.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	More information is needed on this species. The population appears to be stable, being found again in the same locality in October 2022, but no detailed population numbers have been determined.
1.3. Research -> Life history & ecology	There is very little known about this species in terms of its life history and ecology.

Drimiopsis comptonii - U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies