Xerophyta kirkii

As this species favours steep, rocky slopes with sparse vegetation and thin soil pockets, it is unlikely to be threatened by habitat disturbance. That said, there has been considerable denudation of vegetation on Ndirande Mt at Blantyre and it would be desirable to survey how this has impacted this Xerophyta species. Fire damage through deliberate burning of the surrounding vegetation could potentially be an issue at such sites, but Xerophyta species tend to be protected from the worst impacts of increased fire frequency as they are on open rocky slopes that don't get so regularly burnt and they have some fire tolerance. In fact, in some species, fire can stimulate flowering (J. Burrows pers. comm.). The only other potential threat to this species is harvesting of the branches for use as brushes, as noted on Zomba, but this is unlikely to have a major impact on the population size of this species.

No specific conservation measures or management plan are in place for this species. Three of its known subpopulations in Malawi are in a protected areas: the Zomba (or Zomba-Malosa) Forest Reserve, Liwonde Forest Reserve and Ndirande Forest Reserve (Protected Planet 2018). However, there is significant human pressure on these reserves and protection for biodiversity is limited.