Red list of the threatened vascular plants of Uzbekistan
Abstract
This study presents the results of a comprehensive reassessment of threatened vascular plant species included in the sixth edition of the Red Data Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. The assessment was based on targeted field surveys conducted during 2020–2025, combined with a critical analysis of herbarium records, taxonomic revisions, and published and unpublished floristic data. A total of 367 vascular plants were evaluated, including 314 species previously listed in the fifth edition of the Red Book and additional 53 candidate species. As a result, 317 taxa were included in the updated national Red Book, of which 207 are strict national endemics, and 92 are regional endemics of Central Asia. Twenty-four species were newly identified as threatened and recommended for inclusion, while 21 taxa were excluded due to taxonomic synonymization, wider-than-previously-assumed distribution ranges, or evidence of stable and recovering populations. According to IUCN categories, one species ( Dipcadi turkestanicum Vved.) was assessed as Extinct (EX), 41 as Critically Endangered (CR), 168 as Endangered (EN), 56 as Vulnerable (VU), and 44 as Data Deficient (DD). More than half of threatened species (55%) occur entirely outside the current network of protected areas, with particularly low coverage in desert regions (Kyzylkum and Ustyurt Plateau) and in intensively transformed landscapes such as the Fergana Valley. These findings provide an evidence-based foundation for updating national conservation priorities, expanding protected area coverage in underrepresented regions, and aligning biodiversity conservation planning in Uzbekistan with international IUCN standards.