Allium calocephalum

Within the ecoregion where this species occurs agricultural cultivation and overgrazing constitute ongoing threats (Bourns 2001). However, it is noted in a report that other species of Allium have low palatability for goats and presumably other grazers (Holst and Simmonds 2000). This may also be the case for this species as chemicals found in the genus Allium are part of the plant's defence against herbivores. Although there is some agricultural activity, from satellite imagery, it seems to be relatively small scale and largely in the valley areas; whereas this species is reported mainly from mountain sides where much habitat appears to remain. Two other threats have been noted from the Bisan-Tawera and Dary Mar valleys namely fire which damaged plant communities here and a dry winter season which reportedly caused plants to be weak and short or to disappear from 2007 to 2009. The period 2007 to 2009 was noted to have been a time of severe drought and Iraq is considered to be one of the Arab countries most vulnerable to climate change, with impacts of changing weather patterns having already made themselves felt (Inter-Agency Information and Analysis Unit 2012). In the Barzan area and Gali Balnda a future threat from oil mining has been identified (Nature Iraq 2015). Maps depicting threats, in the key biodiversity areas studied in the range of this species, show them to be to be mainly of low severity (Nature Iraq 2015a) although at some biodiversity sites of medium severity (Nature Iraq 2011). However, extensive logging of oak-dominant deciduous forests (a known habitat for this species), poor agricultural practices, building and a lack of legislation and protected areas have been identified as key factors that have led to the degradation of biodiverse habitats in northern Iraq over a period of time (Ghazanfar and McDaniel 2015). Additionally Alliums in general have relatively short dispersal distances, one study showing a maximum dispersal of bulbils to be 95 cm and seed 130 cm (Ronsheim 1994) which has the potential to make adaptation to environmental change less rapid than in species that disperse easily and over wider areas. An additional threat, noted from observation of the plant population in Turkey, comes from local people who consume the fresh leaves and it is sold in the market in Derecik in the Hakkari District (Firat and Aziret 2016). This is reported to be causing a decline in the population here (N. Özhatay pers. comm. 2016).

No formally protected areas have been identified where this species has been recorded. However it is historically recorded from the Barzan area and Gali Balnda which is considered an important plant area and is partially protected by the Barzan tribe and often proposed as a national park (Nature Iraq 2015). It is also recorded from Halgurd-Sakran proposed park area (Nature Iraq 2015). It is not known to be conserved ex situ (MSB 2015, BGCI 2015).