Desmocladus glomeratus

This species is found in the Southwest Australia biodiversity hotspot, where one of the main threats has been clearance of native vegetation for agriculture (Conservation International 2015). In the Moresby Range area less than 10% of the original vegetation remains due to historic clearance for agriculture (WAPC 2009). Patches of native vegetation remain throughout the area including near the Howatharra road where this species can be found (WAPC 2009). Outside of protected areas this species is mainly restricted to sites unsuitable for intensive agriculture due to poor low nutrient soils or unsuitable topography like ridges (B. Briggs pers. comm. 2016).

The Moresby Range has historically been used for farmland but there has been an increase in new housing developments and additional infrastructure including roads and water pipelines (WAPC 2009). A new industrial estate is planned at Oakajee not far from the Oakajee nature reserve (WAPC 2009) which could increase the human population in this area. The three locations for this species along the Nanson-Howatherra road are on private property and in 2010 planning permission was submitted by several land owners in this area to change the use of the land from farming to rural small holdings (GHD 2010). This could potentially allow new housing and associated infrastructure to be built in this area. 

Fires occur naturally in southwest Western Australia and the flora shows a range of plant adaptations in response to fire, for example reseeding from the soil seed bank (Lambers 2014). This species is reported to be killed by mild fires but new plants germinate from seed (Meney and Pate 1999). In some species of Restionaceae fires can stimulate germination of seeds from the soil seed bank (Lambers 2014). For reseeders like this species too frequent fires can kill adult plants before they have reached maturity but long intervals between fires can cause a decline in the viability of the soil seed bank (Lambers 2014). Therefore appropriate fire management and monitoring of this species habitat is important. In the future this species is suspected to be vulnerable to climate change. In Western Australia they have been changes to rainfall patterns over the last 40 years leading to drier conditions (Climate Commission 2013) and this species sandy shrubland habitat on shallow soils is suspected to be susceptible to droughts (B.Briggs pers. comm. 2016). With projected drier and hotter conditions there may be changes to fire regimes with larger and more intense fires (Climate Commission 2013).

This rush is found within two nature reserves, Howatharra and Oakajee, both part of the Moresby Range. The Moresby Range has an active management strategy (WAPC 2009) which identified areas of remnant natural vegetation in the region for further study as potential areas for future conservation management. When the species was first described (Meney et al. 1996) it was cited as being "in urgent need of further surveys to determine the extent of it's distribution and conservation status". The authors recommended the species be considered as rare and endangered (Meney et al. 1996) and the species was also described as having a rare conservation status in 1999 (Meney and Pate 1999). It is listed in Western Australia (Jones 2015) as a Priority 2 conservation species (a poorly known species only known from generally five or less locations and in urgent need of further surveys). There are no known ex situ collections and ex situ conservation is recommended. Further surveys to study population size and the extent of the species distribution are recommended, particularly as the area is infrequently visited by botanists (B. Briggs pers. comm. 2016).