Comparing traditional and automated conservation assessments for Himalayan species of Buddleja BIS HAL GURUNG1 , 2 ,GAO CHE N * 1 , 3 and J IA GE * 1


Abstract To compare the benefits and drawbacks of trad- itional and automated conservation assessments, we used a field-based study and automated conservation assess- ments using GeoCAT, red and ConR to assess four species of Buddleja (Scrophulariaceae), a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants. Buddleja colvilei, Buddleja sessilifolia, Buddleja delavayi and Buddleja yunnanensis are endemic to the Himalayan region. They have not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but are facing elevated risks of extinction because of various anthropogen- ic and environmental pressures. Buddleja sessilifolia and B. delavayi are listed as Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations in Yunnan, China, where they are known to be threatened.Although automated assessments evaluated B. de- lavayi and B. yunnanensis as Endangered and B. sessilifolia and B. colvilei as Vulnerable, our field studies indicated a dif- ferent categorization for three of the species: B. delavayi and B. yunnanensis as Critically Endangered and B. sessilifolia as Endangered. Our findings indicate that the accuracy and reliability of assessment methods can differ and that field surveys remain important for conservation assessments. We recommend an integrated approach addressing these limitations, to safeguard the future of other species endem- ic to the Himalayan region.


Keywords Automated conservation assessment, Buddleja, conservation, Himalaya, IUCN Red List, Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations, PSESP, threats


ecology and vegetation but also the geomorphology (BBC News, 2023). The melting of Himalayan glaciers (Xu et al., 2009) and bursting of glacial lakes (Veh et al., 2020) have put further pressure on the region’s ecosystems, increasing the need to study the species and ecology of this area. The genus Buddleja (Scrophulariaceae) encompasses


c. 90 species and has a wide distribution across the tropic- al, subtropical and warm-temperate regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas (Li & Leeuwenberg, 1996; Chau, 2017; Norman, 2000). The Sino-Himalayan region in Southeast Asia is a centre of diversity for the genus and harbours 25 of the 27 Asian Buddleja species (excluding only Buddleja curviflora and Buddleja japonica; Wu et al., 2010). Many Buddleja species are notable for their aesthetic appeal (Chen et al., 2012, 2014; Zhang, 2020), medicinal properties (Backhouse et al., 2008;Khanetal., 2019;Yangetal., 2023b), cultural significance (Namsa et al., 2011;Lietal., 2020)and ecological role (Gong et al., 2015;Verbeke et al., 2023). During several years of fieldwork it became evident to us


Introduction


(Valdiya, 1984, 2016). The area is prone to natural disasters (Pathak, 2016) such as earthquakes (Dal Zilio et al., 2021) and subsequent landslides that can lead to habitat and vegeta- tion clearance. In addition, human population growth and an- thropogenic activities are now affecting not only Himalayan


T


*Corresponding authors, chen_gao@mail.kib.ac.cn, gejia@mail.kib.ac.cn 1Yunnan Key Laboratory for Integrative Conservation of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy


of Sciences, Kunming, China 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Natural Medicines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China


Received 17 April 2023. Revision requested 16 June 2023. Accepted 21 September 2023. First published online 15 October 2024.


he Himalayan region is a globally important biodiver- sity hotspot (Myers et al., 2000), but its ecology is fragile


that some Himalayan Buddleja species, notably Buddleja colvilei, Buddleja sessilifolia, Buddleja delavayi and Buddleja yunnanensis, are facing threats from anthropogenic disturb- ance and environmental pressures. These species share dis- tinctive features such as a limited distribution range, a preference for high-altitude habitats and a susceptibility to human interference, all of which make them particularly vulnerable to changes in their environment. The four spe- cies have not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2023a). To date, Buddleja bhu- tanica is the only Asian species of Buddleja that has been assessed, and is categorized as Vulnerable (Bhutan Endemic Flowering PlantsWorkshop, 2017). Buddleja colvi- lei, B. delavayi and B. yunnanensis are included on the Threatened Species List of China’s Higher Plants (Qin et al., 2017). Buddleja sessilifolia and B. delavayi are included on the List of Yunnan Protected Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (Sun, 2021) because of their reduced populations, restricted habitats, the presence of severe human disturbance and the heightened risk of ex- tinction (Ren et al., 2012; Ma et al., 2013). Further evalua- tion is required to assess these four species for inclusion on the IUCN Red List. Buddleja colvilei Hook.f. & Thomson is a shrub or small


tree characterized by its attractive foliage and flowers, and was referred to as ‘the handsomest of all Himalayan shrubs’ by Hooker in 1849 (Stuart, 2006). It is endemic to the eastern Himalayas of Nepal, India (Sikkim), Bhutan and China (Tibet) at 1,600–4,200 m elevation.


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. Oryx, 2024, 58(5), 618–626 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605323001503


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