Vulnerable Plants

A species is vulnerable when it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, as defined by any of the following criteria (A to E):

• A. Population reduction in the form of either of the following:
  • 1. An observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 20% over the least 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of the following:
    • a) direct observation,
    • b) an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon,
    • c) a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat,
    • d) actual or potential levels of exploitation,
    • e) the effects of introduced taxa, hybridization, pathogens, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
  • 2. A reduction of at least 20%, projected or suspected to be met within the next ten years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of (b), (c), (d) or (e) above.
• B. Extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 20,000 km2 or area of occupancy estimated to be less than 2000 km2, and estimates indicating any two of the following:
  • 1. Severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than ten locations.
  • 2. Continuing decline, inferred, observed or projected, in any of the following:
    • a) extent of occurrence,
    • b) area of occupancy,
    • c) area, extent and/or quality of habitat,
    • d) number of locations or subpopulations,
    • e) number of mature individuals.
  • 3. Extreme fluctuations in any of the following:
    • a) extent of occurrence,
    • b) area of occupancy,
    • c) number of locations or subpopulations,
    • d) number of mature individuals.
• C. Population estimated to number less than 10,000 mature individuals and either:
  • 1. An estimated continuing decline of at least 10% within 10 years or 3 generations, whichever is longer, or
  • 2. A continuing decline, observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature individuals and population structure in the form of either
    • a) severely fragmented (i.e., no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 1,000 mature individuals),
    • b) all individuals are in a single subpopulation.
  D. Population very small or restricted in the form of either of the following:
• 1. Population estimated to number less than 1,000 mature individuals.
• 2. Population is characterized by an acute restriction in its area of occupancy (typically less than 100 km2) or in the number of locations (typically less than 5). Such a taxon would thus be prone to the effects of human activities) within a very short period of time in an unforeseeable future, and is thus capable of becoming Critically Endangered or even Extinct in a very short period.
• E. Quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild is at least 10% within 100 years.