The Conservation Status and Population Mapping of the Endangered Dracaena serrulata in the Dhofar Mountains, Oman

Abstract

Populations of Dracaena serrulata are disappearing at an alarming rate in the Arabian Peninsula. They are being destroyed by herders who use the leaves as fodder for camels, goats, and sheep during the dry season. Up until now, precise information about the current distribution and population status of D. serrulata in Oman have not been published. To fill this gap, the main aim of this work was to map the species distribution in the Dhofar Mountains (Oman) and to define the conservation and health status of the populations. Three isolated sub-populations of the study species were defined and mapped: the Jabal Samhan, Jabal al Qara, and Jabal al Qamar sub-populations. Dracaena serrulata occupies an area of 227 km2 in the Dhofar Mountains. More than 43,000 trees were counted, and 2387 trees were inventoried in total. The Jabal Samhan sub-population is an example of an extensively damaged population with 59% of the trees recorded as dead and only 21% healthy trees. Populationsin the western portions of the Dhofar Mountains., Jabal al Qamar, and Jabal al Qara are comparatively abundant stands of healthy trees with a higher proportion of seedlings. The health of trees is strongly influenced by accessibility and precipitation provided by the southwest summer monsoon: the healthy individuals predominate on the steep terrain along the seaward facing cliffs.

Climate change effects on the potential distribution of the endemic Commiphora species (Burseraceae) on the island of Socotra

“…We focussed on the four endemic Commiphora species occurring in Socotra Island (C. ornifolia, C. parvifolia, C. planifrons, C. socotrana; see Figure 1). Location points of individual trees were taken in the field by hand using a GPS through a custom-designed application via mobile phone using ArcGIS Field Maps, which was also used for the field inventory of Dracaena in Oman (Vahalík et al, 2020). The island was investigated during field surveys in 2022 in all known areas of the distribution of the four species to cover the actual distribution, but also to cover new areas with the intention to improve our knowledge of the geographic distribution.…”

Germination of Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f. Seeds under Controlled Temperature Conditions

“…Forests 2020, 11, 521 2 of 14 Some of the localities, such as Qatariyah, with the last few trees (localities number 11 and 16 according to Maděra et al [4]) require urgent intervention to prevent the loss of genetic variability and unique genotype features, as well as other species that are associated with the trees [6,7]. The trees on the whole island do not have a problem of flowering or producing seeds when compared with, e.g., D. serrulata Baker, which flowers, according to observations, mainly after exceptional rain events [8]. D. cinnabari usually flowers each year, at least for the majority of the individuals.…”

Complete chloroplast genome sequencing and comparative analysis of threatened dragon trees Dracaena serrulata and Dracaena cinnabari

“…These endangered species are currently threatened by mining operations, agriculture, drought, and possibly climate change. The known populations are threatened by grazing (camels, goats, and sheep) during the dry season [8][9][10] . Dracaena, along with other globally important genera Sansevieria Thunb and Pleomele Salisb (family Asparagaceae and Nolinoideae subfamily) are collectively OPEN 1 Natural and Medical Sciences Research Centre, University of Nizwa, 616 Nizwa, Oman.…”