Gladiolus negeliensis

This species is endemic to grasslands near Negele, an area which is under threat from habitat loss and degradation due to overgrazing by livestock, recurring droughts, bush encroachment, and agricultural encroachment (Vivero et al. 2006, Spottiswoode et al. 2009). Grassland habitat within this region has been declining in area and undergoing degradation for at least 25 years (Mahamued et al. 2022). It has been estimated that between 1994 and 2019, c. 40% of grassland near Negele was lost to agriculture with no indication that the rate of loss is slowing down (Mahamued et al. 2022). Satellite imagery suggests that the two northern localities could be lost due to rapid and recent agricultural expansion. Degradation of these grasslands, including encroachment of shrubs and erosion, has been attributed to a loss of traditional grazing practices and nomadic pastoralism, recurring droughts, bans on the use of fire, and overgrazing (Spottiswoode et al. 2009). Nearly all remaining grassland near Negele is likely degraded for these reasons (Mahamued et al. 2022).

The Liben Plains grasslands are an Important Bird Area (IBA) and have been proposed as a protected area to protect the Critically Endangered Liben Lark Heteromirafra acheri (UNEP-WCMC 2022). A Darwin Initiative project aiming to restore the grasslands took place between 2015 and 2019, however, fieldwork since the project finished has found that degradation is continuing (Wotton 2019). Gladiolus negeliensis it is not held in any ex situ conservation collections (BGCI 2022). As such, gathering of wild germplasm to establish ex situ collections should be a conservation priority to ensure the long-term persistence of this species. Targeted surveys are urgently needed to verify the status of known localities and determine if there are any additional subpopulations in the remaining grassland habitat.