Cerastium svanicum
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Cerastium svanicum faces severe pressure from habitat degradation in its restricted alpine range in the Greater Caucasus. Climate change poses an escalating threat as warming temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. Tourism development and infrastructure expansion in mountain regions further fragment its already small populations, while overgrazing by livestock degrades the delicate alpine meadow communities where it persists.
Habitat
This endemic species inhabits alpine and subalpine meadows, rocky slopes, and scree habitats in the Greater Caucasus mountains, typically occurring at elevations between 2,000-3,500 meters. It thrives in well-drained, nutrient-poor soils characteristic of high-altitude environments with short growing seasons and extreme temperature fluctuations.