Title: Assessment of the current condition of populations of the red listed species Lagochilus proskorjakovii Ikram and Lagochilus olgae R.Kam. (Lamiaceae) in Nuratau Mountain Ridge, Uzbekistan

The high-mountain ecosystems of Central Asia, are a biodiversity hotspot with unique plant communities and many endemic species. Intense human pressure and global warming have caused habitat destruction in these areas and increased the number of endangered species. In Uzbekistan the number of red listed plant species has risen in the last 30 years, from 163 in 1984 to 324 in 2009. Among those red listed species are 23 species in the Lamiaceae family. The aim of this study was to estimate current populations of two of these red listed species, Lagochilus proskorjakovii and Lagochilus olgae. These species are endemic to the Nuratau ridge and are under high human pressure.

I found four populations of both species in the Nuratau ridge. For each population I measured plant density and determined population maturity and ontogenetic spectrum. I also described the plant community where each population grew. At all sites population density was low, with most populations being classified as mature with centred ontogenetic structure. These results indicated that both species might in the near future become extinct in the wild. I therefore recommend that the local people be encouraged to stop using these plants and the development of methods to cultivate them.