Plants That No Body Wanted: An Assessment of the Conservation Status of Plant in Mohmand Agency FATA, Pakistan

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Research Paper 01/05/2016
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Plants That No Body Wanted: An Assessment of the Conservation Status of Plant in Mohmand Agency FATA, Pakistan

Shah Khalid, Syed Zahir Shah
J. Bio. Env. Sci.8( 5), 195-205, May 2016.
Certificate: JBES 2016 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

The current study was an attempt to encompass the conservation status of plants of Mohmand Agency, (FATA) Pakistan. IUCN Criteria was followed for the assessment of the conservation status of the plants in the area. Total 170 plants, belonging to 48 families were reported from the area out of which 13 (7.6%) plants were found to be endangered. These plants include Albizia lebbek Tamarix indica, Tecomella undulata, Acacia modesta, Acacia nilotica, Pinus roxburgii, Ziziphus mauritiana, Caralluma tuberculata, Cotoneaster nummularia, Dodonaea viscosa, Nannorhops ritchiana, Olea ferruginea and Salvadora persica. Biotic stress is extremely high due to anthropogenic disturbances and overgrazing, making 32 (18%) plants vulnerable, 87 (51%) rare and 38 (22%) plants infrequent. Fabaceae family was the most affected one, with 3 species being endangered, followed by Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Bignoniaceae, Oleaceae, Pinaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Salvadoraceae, Sapindaceae and Tamaricaceae with 1 species each. In vulnerable status, Poaceae was the highest threatened family with 7 species, followed by Brassicaceae with 4, fabaceae with 3 and Apocynaceae and Rhamnaceae with 1 species each. There were 13 rare plants each in family Asteraceae and Poaceae. Highest number of infrequent plants belong to Asteraceae family (7), followed by Lamiaceae and Brassicaceae with 5 species each. Current status of the plants was attributed to the biological disturbance, habitat loss, habitat modification and political instability of the region, which has decreased the wild flora over the last few decades decreased over the last few decades due to intense biotic stress.

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