Assessment of threat status of selected endemic medicinal plants using IUCN regional guidelines: A case study from Kashmir Himalaya

Systematic conservation planning aims to identify the species that are in need of immediate conservation and minimise biodiversity loss. Importantly, conservation planners seek to determine where to allocate limited resources first. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species incorporates data not only on threats to species, but also on species distributions and ecological requirements. These datasets have proven useful for determining the most prioritised species for conservation, from the global level down to the scale of region. Assigning a particular threat category to the species in accordance with IUCN regional guidelines not only helps in identifying the key elements which are in immediate need of conservation but also help in setting the priorities for their sustainable management. During the present study, threat status of six endemic medicinal plant species were evaluated as per IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria 2010 version 8.1 following Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Levels 2003 version 3.0. The evaluated species are subjected to eight different types of threats in the studied area; which have rendered these species threatened. Three of these (Atropa acuminata, Aquilegia nivalis and Corydalis cashmeriana) meet the criteria for Endangered (EN) threat category while the remaining three species (Fritillaria roylei, Rheum webbianum and Lagotis cashmeriana) qualify for the Vulnerable (VU) threat category. These six species are thus threatened in nature and needs immediate conservation strategies for sustainable use. The study acts as a test case for the successful conservation of large number of important medicinal plant species of Kashmir Himalaya – a hot spot of biodiversity.