Tulipa kaufmanniana

There are a range of threats to this species across its range. In Kyrgyzstan the main threat comes from mining especially gold mining in the Chatkal mountains (Davletkeldiev 2006). In Kazakhstan subpopulations are in decline due to mining activities also as well as conversion of habitat to agricultural land, and livestock overgrazing. In Uzbekistan, the expansion of agricultural land is also occurring, as well as degradation of habitat through livestock overgrazing, and habitat is being lost due to mining activities and connected deposits of debris. Yet over the collection and trade of this plant is likely the most serious threat in Uzbekistan with subpopulations often over-exploited near settlements (Tojibaev and Beshko 2015). In addition, the construction of a hydro-power plant and tourist infrastructure in the Chatkal and Pskem Mountain Ranges of Uzbekistan is leading to habitat loss and the potential loss of some subpopulations. In Tajikistan the primary threats are from collection and trade, livestock overgrazing, and mining activities in the Kurama mountains (Nowak et al. 2020). Climate change is also likely to pose a significant threat across the range of this species with projections suggesting large areas of suitable habitat being lost in the next few decades (Wilson et al. 2021).

This species is nationally red listed as Critically Endangered in Tajikistan (Hisoriev et al. 2016), Vulnerable in Kyrgyzstan (Davletkeldiev 2006), and Near Threatened in Uzbekistan (Tojibaev and Beshko 2015) and is reported as Threatened in Kazakhstan (Baitulin 2014). This species occurs in a range of protected areas across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan; the Besh-Aral State Reserve in Kyrgyzstan, the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, Sayram-Ugam National Park, Syrdarya-Turkestan State Regional Natural Park, and Berkara Gorge and Nature Park in Kazakhstan, and the Ugam-Chatkal National Park in Uzbekistan. It is estimated around a third of its Kyrgyz range is within a protected area and a large proportion of its Kazakhstan range is also within protected areas. It is not in any protected areas in Tajikistan. This species is recorded in 55 ex situ collections (BGCI 2022) and has recently been added to the tulip collection at the Gareev Botanical Garden in Bishkek. This species is an important genetic resource and is of horticultural significance and so its conservation is extremely important. This species may require translocation efforts as climate change leads to rapid shifts in habitat that this species may not be able to track, especially as projections show that this species may be forced to higher altitudes (Wilson et al. 2021).