Gladiolus lithicola

This species' wider habitat type, the dry evergreen Afromontane forest and grassland complex (DAF), has a long history of human interaction and use in subsistence agriculture (Friis, et al. 2010). Currently, this habitat is subject to extreme levels of human pressure. In Ethiopia, DAF vegetation areas are highly populated and host some of the highest livestock densities (Institute of Biodiversity Conservation 2005). The major threats are agricultural expansion and intensification. Agricultural encroachment is evident on Gara Muleta based on satellite images, and the collecting localities of this species now lie within agricultural land. The plateaus surrounding Gara Muleta have been an agricultural landscape since at least the 1960s with the majority of the area cleared for barley cultivation (de Wilde # 5840 (L)). While collection descriptions indicate that this species is able to persist in cleared areas (de Wilde #5840 (L)), these areas have increased risk of soil erosion (Friis et al. 2010) which is inferred as a major threat to the steep slopes that represent the preferred habitat of this species. Only the steep sides of the mountain running south have any tree cover, and there has been limited tree loss on these steeply inclined valley sides since 2000 (Global Forest Watch 2022); however, there is continuous upwards expansion of agriculture to higher elevations of Gara Muleta (Sileshi pers. comms. 2022) and review of historic satellite imagery indicates that loss of forest cover and agricultural expansion are most prominent on the southern face of the mountain (Global Forest Watch 2022). Grazing and fuel wood harvesting are inferred to represent additional threats on the less-disturbed northern face and summit plateaus of the mountain.

No specific management plans are in place for this species. It does not occur in any protected areas or any ex situ plant collections (UNEP WCMC and IUCN 2022, BGCI 2022).