TThe conservation status of Zygophyllum eichwaldii C. A. Meyer, an endemic medicinal and rare species from Iran

Zygophyllum eichwaldii C. A. Meyer is a medicinal plant that grow on sand dunes in relatively humid parts of the deserts. The habitat of this plant is only in the sandy lands of the central deserts (in Isfahan province) and to some extent the eastern part of the country (in Khorasan Razavi province), which are located in the plain area of Irano-Touranian region, at an altitude range of 780 to 1200 meters above the sea level. The conservation status of this plant is defined based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories and criteria. Three criteria were used to evaluate the status of this species: extent of occurrence (EOO), area of occupancy (AOO) and size of populations. According to field survey and plot sampling, Z. eichwaldii occupies an area of 11.66 Km². According to analysis by GeoCAT software (geocat.kew.org), the extent of occurrence was 83097 Km². Therefore, according to the results of this study and referring to the area of occupation, the number of populations, with highly fragmented populations, and low regeneration due to limited seed setting and quality of habitat, Z. eichwaldii is considered as an “Endangered” species. The field observations indicated that excessive livestock grazing on the rangeland, eradicating Z. eichwaldii shrubs. in order to change the land use (by the help of indigenous and local people), extra reduction in level of the groundwater table, abandonment of the shrub collection by the locals and the unprecedented drought in recent decades should be addressed, as the main threats to this rare shrub. Therefore, special attention and full conservation of this natural genetic reserve are needed.