Important plant areas (IPAs) in the Fergana Valley (Central Asia): The badlands of the northern foothills

Abstract

Here, we aimed to identify important plant areas (IPAs) in the Fergana Valley, one of the most densely human-populated regions in Central Asia with a diverse array of endemic and endangered species. The IPA programme in FV aims to identify and protect a global network of plant conservation sites. We conducted a field survey from 2018 to 2021 to re-identify specimens collected from Fergana Valley and stored at the National Herbarium of Uzbekistan (TASH). An analysis of the floristic, geobotanical and collected data allowed for the identification of the badlands in the northern foothills (Chap tract and surrounding areas) as an IPA site. We modified the interpretation of criterion A for IPAs to suit the circumstances of Mountainous Central Asia and documented the distribution of 29 species in the IPAs under these sub-criteria. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify an IPA in Uzbekistan and provide geographic coordinates with locations for the herbarium specimens used to create the IPA set for Central Asia. Our study provides a foundation for applying future IPAs in this region, addressing specific conservation challenges, such as conserving rare and endangered species that grow outside protected areas and GIS mapping of endemic species.

Important plant areas (IPAs) in the Fergana Valley (Central Asia): The Bozbu-Too-Ungortepa massif

“…In Central Asia countries, the realization of IPAs programs, including the identification process, data accumulation, and GIS mapping of species across IPA criteria, is in dynamic development (Tojibaev et al 2022). In many ways, all countries in Central Asia inherited the Soviet (in some places modernized) system of nature conservation practice.…”

“…National biodiversity strategies and protected area management are very similar and the main approaches to the development of plants conservation strategies and their implementation remain. The first attempts to identify such IPA sites have been made (Dimeyeva and Vesselova 2015;Tojibaev et al 2022). The results of the first phase of IPA research created a solid methodological basis.…”

“…The botanical significance of Central Asia in terms of global plant diversity and the use of this phrase concerning a specific geographical area were discussed in a previous publication (Tojibaev et al 2022).…”

“…According to the generally accepted formulation, IPA sites with criterion A should hold significant populations of one or more species of global or regional conservation concern (Anderson 2002). After modifying IPA methodology as proposed by the authors in the previous stages of the IPA research in Central Asia (Tojibaev et al 2022), 62 vascular plant species were recognized as belonging to criterion A. Following the national requirements, we also listed national and regional species of interest (Table 1).…”

“…The badlands of the Chust-Pap adyrs (foothills) with a high concentration of endemic species of the western Tian-Shan were chosen as the first IPA of the FV. An overview of international references on IPA research in various countries was given in the first phase of IPA research (Tojibaev et al 2022).…”