Conservation and ecological assessment of plants in Bamou National Park

National parks are places that have as their goal the prevention of extinction of plant and animal species in each country and, so, they are the best means of support for the revival of nature. Bamou National Park with an extent of 48,075 hectares is located near the Shiraz city. In this study, the conservation and ecological evaluation of vascular plants in Bamou Park was investigated, for the first time. For identification of the conservation status of plant species in this area, geographical maps were studied and different habitats were then investigated by field survey (1999-2011). Plant species were identified based on the flora of Iran and the neighbouring countries. Some species were also compared with herbarium samples held at the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands Iran (TARI) and Ministry of Iranian Agriculture (Iran) and the life form types, chorotype and conservation status of the species were recognized. 534 species were identified and documented from among 1830 samples. The conservation assessment showed that there were 129 lower risk (LR), seven vulnerable (VU), one endangered (EN) and 397 data deficient (DD) species. In addition, endemism shoed that, of the 74 endemic species belonging to Fars Province, there were 26 species (35.1%) present in Bamou Park. The life form study illustrated that Chamaephytes at 53.2% and then Therophytes at 21.7% had the most frequent. Chronological data indicated that the Iran-Turan region, Iran-Anatolia and Mediterranean regions, with 51.4%, 21.7% and 14.2% had the most phyto-geographical elements, respectively. Narrative and oral comparisons of Bamou flora with neighbouring regions demonstrated that the protective role of Bamou could keep some medicinal, edible and livestock species from danger. In addition, it appears that the role of reduced rainfall and fire on a number of annual plants had been remarkable in recent years. I suggest that, we need to learn more about the conservation and better use of plants in Fars Province, because the migration of nomadic and tribal peoples and their accommodation occur widely in this province.