The conservation status of Sorbus luristanica

Sorbus luristanica is a flowering plant from the Rosaceae of Iran. It is distributed in two mountainous regions, Gahar Lake and Kahman Lake in Lorestan Province. This is a deciduous tree with a height of up to 4 m. It is endemic to Iran. The species' conservation status was defined based on the IUCN Red List Categories. According to field survey and plot sampling, Sorbus luristanica occupies an area of 20 Km2, and the extent of occurrence is 717 Km2. Based on the Area of Occupancy (AOO), population size, regeneration, mainly by seeds, and habitat quality, this species' conservation status is classified as Endangered/EN. Field observations have shown that lack of proper management and recreation are the main threats to this rare species. Defining protected habitat by the Forests, Rangelands and Watershed Management Organization and the ex-situ conservation in botanical gardens and Plant Natural Resources Gene Banks are suggested for Sorbus luristanica conservation.