Salvia multicaulis Vahl.

To complement the previous work in the previous two projects to determine the conservation status of threatened species in Egypt and in order to help decision makers (national and international) to develop an efficient and effective conservation strategy using complementary in situ and ex situ techniques, it is important to have a clear understanding of target species geographical distribution, and its habitat preferences and requirements.

However, conservation of such globally endangered plant resources is a critical ecological, cultural and economic issue. The undertaking of ecological study focusing on the distribution, abundance and population structures of target species is fundamental to the assessment of the conservation status of wild populations. Allium crameri, Astragalus fresenii, Anarrhinum pubescens, Origanum syriacum L. subsp. Sinaicum, and Salvia multicaulis are national threatened medicinal plants. The first 4 plants are endemic, while the last one is near endemic but restricted in the St Catherine Protected Area (SCPA) and may be found in Taba Protected Area (TPA) as well. The first two species are very rare and not recorded within the SCPA from very long time. The population size of the last three species deteriorated sharply in the last 10 years as a result from extensive human activities from over collection, overgrazing and the absence of management plans to conserve such species. Being threatened by both natural and human factors is pushing them to the brink of extinction. The geographical and ecological status of these plants is not known. In addition, the conservation requirements for these plants are inadequate, so there is an urgent need to improve this knowledge for accurate conservation practices.

The aim of this project is to assess the conservation status of these species with the help of local community, and to generate long-term conservation plans that integrate demography, ecology and practical conservation practices.