10 GLORIOUS YEARS OF PROTEA ATLASSING

10 GLORIOUS YEARS OF

PROTEA ATLASSING

RaritiesLd ‘climacticum’ + Se lacunosa

Ls harpagonatum

Se rebeloi

Pa ‘hyperdeluvialis’

EIGHT NEW SPECIES

Serruria lacunosa

Leucospermum harpagonatum

Serruria rebeloiParanomus “hyperdeluvialis”

Leucadendron “climaticum”

New species: localized rares

New species: widespread common

Ld crassulaefolium

Ld ‘touwsrivierensis’

Ld osbornei

Ld “touwsrivierensis”

Ld osborneiLd crassulaefolium

New species: an Arid Centre

Pre-atlas172 GC

Current 472 GC

Exciting New Data: Ld salignum

40 % of all localities have Ld sgnm

Exciting New Data: A Tree! Br stellatifolium

Pre-atlas 23 GC

Current 93 GC

Range Extensions Galore: Pr convexa

170 km

Range Extensions Galore: Pr subvestitaPr subvestita

400 kmTaxonomy?Taxonomy?

Only species to cross G. KarooOnly species to cross G. Karoo

Range Extinctions Galore: Di proteoides

Extant Extant ExtinctExtinct

Problem Groups: Stigmatic Conebushes

‘touwsrivierensis’ orientalepubibracteolatumtinctum

Problem Groups: Paw Spiderheads

acrocarpa (non)

balanocephala

gremialis

acrocarpa (s.s.)

dodiipedunculata

Problem Groups: Ld uliginosum - loeriense

uliginosum uliginosum

uliginosum glabratum

loeriense

Paranomus bracteolaris - lagopusintermediate zone

Other Problem Groups: inadequate typification

Western Ground Sugarbushesresprouting?

Herbarium specimens requiredIdentification queries to be resolved

(details on web)

Unfinished Business

Ls lineare calocephalum Pa spathulatum gamkaensis

Unexplored RangesUnder-explored Arid Areas

Smoothed richness along ranges

Under-explored Arid MountainsExtinctions

Patterns - overall trends

Patterns

CENTRE OF CAPE FLORACENTRE OF CAPE FLORALOST FLORALOST FLORA

RICHEST ATLAS DATA 67 sp

- 10 sp

Conservation ImplicationsGood News: Reserves stay in the same minimum set

More data = greater efficiency - 10% less (51 instead of 55 cells needed)

[& This includes 8 new species!]

Bad News:2 more taxa extinct = 4 extinctions

Because of losses, now need 59 cells (20% more)ACTION REQUIRED NOW

STATUS•244 068 Records of species

Ld salignum Common Sunshine Conebush 38% of sitesPr repens Common Sugarbush - 14 303 Records

Pr laurifolia Laurel-leaf Sugarbush - 10 169 RecordsPr nitida Wagon Tree - 15% or 8 546 Records

Pr cynaroides King Protea - 8 032 RecordsHa sericea Silky Needlebush - 5 184 Records (9th in order)

•58 811 SRS - Record localitiesBabylonstoring (22 spp), Houwhoek (21), Kleinmond (20)

•478 Atlassers (> 1000 participants)(13 Silver Tree and 14 Golden Pagoda Awards)

•251 different crosses (hybrids) recorded

•1 779 Common Names

Are We Finished?

EDS (12X12km)

QDS (25X25km)

Batch number (= 100-500 SRS)

New

Rec

ord

s p

er S

RS

QDS - Yes @ 40 000 SRSEDS - No!

Are We Finished?

EDS (12X12km) New data - no herbarium data

New data - herbarium records exist

New

Rec

ord

s p

er S

RS

Batch number (= 100-500 SRS)

Herbarium - @ 55 000 SRSBUT 1479/5903 = 25% not foundIdeal - 9356 records - 80 000 SRS

Spin-offs• SASOL Proteas (2nd edition)• 51 Protea Atlas Newsletters • Atlassing Manual• Pocket Guides (incl. Peninsula Ericas)• Interim Distribution Maps (several editions at

variety of scales - Mpumalanga, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Provinces,

Eastern Province, Peninsula• Trained Rangers (> 300?) • Web site• PAPSRSDB• GIS data for conservation officers• 500 bored ex-atlassers

Data Uses

• Biogeography - centres of endemism and species richness• Conservation planning (CAPE, C-plan, IEMs, EIAs)

• Global Warming• Bayesian modelling of biodiversity

• Plant speciation mechanisms in the Cape Flora• Red Data Lists• Monitoring (fire, sustainable utilization, eco-terrorrism)• Training (plant identification, field work, map use)• Eco-Tourism (plant lists, flowering, hotspots)• An Atlas of Proteas of southern Africa

To Everyone who made the PAP possible and participated

Especially Atlassers and

Reserve Managers and Rangers who helped

THANK YOU

It ain’t finished yet ……..