CR

Borderea chouardii

StableCREUCREU

Overview

Dioscorea chouardii is a herbaceous plant in the family Dioscoreaceae. It is endemic to a single cliff located in the Pyrenees of Aragon, Spain.

Borderea chouardii faces severe threats from its extremely restricted range, existing only on limestone cliffs in the Pyrenees with fewer than 12 known populations. The species is highly vulnerable to rock falls, erosion, and extreme weather events that can eliminate entire subpopulations. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns and temperature extremes that could affect the specialized cliff microhabitats this endemic plant requires.

Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic species occupies vertical limestone cliff faces and rocky crevices in the Pyrenees mountains of France and Spain. It grows exclusively in specialized microhabitats on calcareous rock formations at elevations between 500-1,500 meters.

Rocky areas· major

Conservation measures underway

Species managementEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in DIOSCOREACEAE

CR

Dioscorea tabatae

Declining
VU

Dioscorea kituiensis

Unknown
VU

Dioscorea mundii

Declining
EN

Dioscorea irodensis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Borderea chouardii classified as Critically Endangered?
Borderea chouardii is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Borderea chouardii faces severe threats from its extremely restricted range, existing only on limestone cliffs in the Pyrenees with fewer than 12 known populations. The species is highly vulnerable to rock falls, erosion, and extreme weather events that can eliminate entire subpopulations. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns and temperature extremes that could affect the specialized cliff microhabitats this endemic plant requires.
Where does Borderea chouardii live?
Borderea chouardii occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Borderea chouardii?
The main threats to Borderea chouardii are 4.1, 6.1, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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