Red List Status
VU - Vulnerable, B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,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: 2023-01-30

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

Lobelia trullifolia subsp. delicatula has a restricted distribution, with an estimated extent of occurrence of 1,365.476 km² and area of occupancy of 28 km². All but one of the records for this subspecies have been found within a small area in Eswatini. Threats to this species include ongoing heavy grazing by livestock and uncontrolled burning. Based on this, the subspecies has been assessed as Vulnerable, under Criteria B1 and B2.
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 subspecies is known from the Eswatini highveld and from one record in the Graskop area in South Africa.

Area of Occupancy (AOO)

Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - in km2	Justification
28	The estimated area of occupancy is based on 9 records for this subspecies, 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
Yes	Inferred	This plant is known from highveld grassland areas, which are subjected to ongoing heavy grazing and burning.

Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO)	Justification
Unknown	There is no current information on 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
1365.476	true	The estimated extent of occurrence is based on 9 records for this subspecies, calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et al. 2011).

Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	This plant is known from highveld grassland areas, which are subjected to ongoing heavy grazing and burning.

Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO)	Justification
Unknown	There is no current information on extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence.

Locations Information

Number of Locations	Justification
6	Based on nine records for this subspecies, the number of locations is estimated at six.

Continuing decline in number of locations	Qualifier	Justification
Unknown	-	More fieldwork is required to determine whether there has been any decline in number of locations for this plant.

Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations	Justification
Unknown	There is no current information on any extreme fluctuations in the number of locations for this plant.

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

Very restricted in area of occupancy (AOO) and/or # of locations	Justification
No	This subspecies is estimated to have an area of occupancy of 28 km2. This might be an over-estimation as more fieldwork is required to determine whether the plant still exists at all the recorded locations.

Elevation / Depth / Depth Zones

Elevation Lower Limit (in metres above sea level): 1040

Elevation Upper Limit (in metres above sea level): 1455

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

At the time of assessment, there was no detailed population information available for this subspecies, more fieldwork is required to not only confirm its continued existence in some of the recorded localities but also to determine any trends. Based on the continued existence of the habitat, for the purposes of this assessment, it has been assumed that the plant still occurs in localities from older records.

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

This subspecies is known from rocky areas in highveld grassland, vegetation type KaNgwane Montane Grassland (Gm16) in Eswatini, and in Northern Escarpment Quartzite Sourveld Grassland (Gm23) in South Africa (Mucina et. al. 2018).

IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme

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

Continuing Decline in Habitat

Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat?	Qualifier	Justification
Yes	Inferred	Most of the highveld grassland areas are subject to ongoing heavy grazing and burning.

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

None of the known localities for this subspecies fall within a protected area.

Conservation Actions In- Place

Action Recovery Plan	Note
No	-

Systematic monitoring scheme	Note
No	-

Conservation sites identified	Note
No	-

Occur in at least one PA	Note
No	-

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

Area based regional management plan	Note
No	-

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
1.2. Land/water protection -> Resource & habitat protection	None of the known localities for this plant are currently within a protected area.
3.4.2. Species management -> Ex-situ conservation -> Genome resource bank	No material has yet been collected for ex-situ conservation of this subspecies.

Research Needed

Research	Note
1.2. Research -> Population size, distribution & trends	There is a need for fieldwork to determine the ongoing existence of this plant in known localities as well as whether it occurs in other localities with similar habitat.
1.3. Research -> Life history & ecology	More information is required on the life history and ecology of this plant for planning of conservation measures.

Lobelia trullifolia subsp. delicatula - (Compton) Thulin