Assessment Report - Asparagus radiatus

	IUCN Species Information Service (SIS) Toolkit
	Assessment Report

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	LILIOPSIDA	ASPARAGALES	ASPARAGACEAE

Scientific Name:	Asparagus radiatus
Species Authority:	Sebsebe
Common Name/s: -
Synonym/s:	-
Taxonomic Notes:	-

Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:	Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)
Year Assessed:	2023
Assessor/s:	Braun, K.
Reviewer/s:	Raimondo, D.
Contributor/s:
Facilitator/s:
Institutions/s:
Justification: This species has a restricted distribution, with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 40.543 km² and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 24 km²and is known from four locations. Although part of its range falls within protected areas, there are ongoing threats to its habitat from timber harvesting. Based on this, it has been assessed as Endangered, under Criterion B.
History:	-

Geographic Range
Range Description:	This species is known from the Lubombo mountains in north eastern Eswatini, and the neighbouring Goba area in Mozambique.
Countries:	Native: Eswatini; Mozambique;

Population
Population:	It has been recorded from eight subpopulations, it is uncommon in these areas. No detailed population surveys have been conducted.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology
Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found on dry rocky slopes on rhyolite, in Androstachys johnsonii dry forest. This area falls within the vegetation type Southern Lebombo Bushveld (SVI16) (Mucina et. al. 2018).
List of Habitats:	1 Forest 1.5 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry

Threats
Major Threat(s):	The survival of this species is dependent on the continued existence of its habitat in Androstachys johnsonii forests in the Lubombo Mountains. It is likely that there is degradation of its habitat at one location in Eswatini at Mhlumeni from timber harvesting. The two other locations in Eswatini fall within protected areas and the habitat quality does not appear to be declining. The pressures to the location in Mozambique are not known but the Androstachys forests are likely to be subject to timber harvesting.
List of Threats:	5 Biological resource use 5.3 Logging & wood harvesting 5.3.1 Intentional use: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]

Threats

Major Threat(s):

The survival of this species is dependent on the continued existence of its habitat in Androstachys johnsonii forests in the Lubombo Mountains. It is likely that there is degradation of its habitat at one location in Eswatini at Mhlumeni from timber harvesting. The two other locations in Eswatini fall within protected areas and the habitat quality does not appear to be declining. The pressures to the location in Mozambique are not known but the Androstachys forests are likely to be subject to timber harvesting.

List of Threats:

5 Biological resource use
5.3 Logging & wood harvesting
5.3.1 Intentional use: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]

Conservation Actions
Conservation Actions:	The range of the population of this species is included both in Mlawula Nature Reserve, and Shewula and Mhlumeni community conservation areas. The latter is a community conservation area which at this stage does not provide protection against timber harvesting.
List of Conservation Actions:	1 Land/water protection 1.2 Resource & habitat protection 3 Species management 3.4 Ex-situ conservation 3.4.2 Genome resource bank

Bibliography
	Bachman, S., Moat, J., Hill, A.W., de la Torre, J. and Scott, B. 2011. Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT geospatial conservation tool. In: Smith V, Penev L (Eds) e-Infrastructure for data publishing in biodiversity science. . ZooKeys 150: 117-126. Mucina, L., Rutherford, M.C. and Powrie, L.W. (Editors). 2018. The Vegetation Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Available at: http://bgis.sanbi.org/Projects/Detail/186.

Bibliography

Bachman, S., Moat, J., Hill, A.W., de la Torre, J. and Scott, B. 2011. Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT geospatial conservation tool. In: Smith V, Penev L (Eds) e-Infrastructure for data publishing in biodiversity science. . ZooKeys 150: 117-126.
Mucina, L., Rutherford, M.C. and Powrie, L.W. (Editors). 2018. The Vegetation Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Available at: http://bgis.sanbi.org/Projects/Detail/186.

Citation: